Fall of the Gods Book 1: Colonials on the Run Redux
by Scourge75
Summary: A dark past. A desperate race. A forced alliance. The return of a race long forgotten. The effects that no one could've foreseen. - OCs galore! Major rewrites from previous post. New chapter will be posted every weekday.
1. Prelude

Prelude

Beep.

Beep.

Beep beep beep **BOOM!**

The explosion of fire, shrapnel, and bricks was followed so closely by two bodies flying out of what used to be a solid wall that the flames weren't even gone by the time they were falling.

Kimi would've cursed up a storm, let Oliver know how stupid he was for killing them both, but she was too busy screaming to chastise him.

Oliver let go of the woman clinging to him after being tackled out of an exploding wall, and Kimi flailed in the air. Reflexes kicked-in as adrenaline flowed in a great rush. Time appeared to slow as perception of time was altered by the mind-altering chemical, and the tiny fragments of stone falling with them became as still as a frozen wave. He reached back with one hand while raising the other. An arrow pulled from his quiver landed on the string of his bow and he drew the weapon taut. With a 'twang' of released tension, the arrow was sent flying through the air. In a motion so thoroughly practiced it was second nature, Oliver slipped his bow into the quiver then grabbed Kimi's legs.

Then reality took over and gravity returned.

As they fell, Oliver grit his teeth, preparing for the impact, and Kimi screamed. "Hold on!" Oliver shouted as the rope, attached at one end to the anchor on his hip and at the other end the arrow that was embedded in a wall a few yards away, snapped tight. There was a jerk of the weight of two bodies slamming into that rope, one that left a sizeable bruise on Oliver's hip, then they were swinging. As the adrenaline kicked in again, Oliver pushed the mind-numbing chemical aside and reached to Kimi's belt. He pulled away one of her knives and held it up to the rope, the woman now dangling from the grip of his left hand alone.

The timing had to be perfect.

And, in keeping with his training, it was.

"JJJJAAAACKIIIIEEEE!" Oliver shouted as he cut the rope and sent the two of them arching through the air with a great deal of momentum.

The woman, accompanied by the rest of Oliver's squad, turned at the shout and raised her hand. Her body glowed with power and Oliver felt gravity shift. Kimi stopped falling outright, but her sudden stop and Oliver's continued forward momentum made him lose his grip on her. With a flailing of his own, Oliver was caught by the walking mountain of armor that is the squad's heavy weapons specialist, and, oddly enough, also their field medic.

The man-turned-superhuman by an 'experiment gone right,' caught Oliver's well-built form that was covered from head to toe in three centimeters of ablative armor, took a half-dozen stumbling steps backwards cradling Oliver like a newborn, then tossed the Italian Colonnello over his shoulder, turned, and kept on running. As Oliver was tossed over Tommy's shoulder and ran with him like he was too wounded to walk, Jack grabbed Kimi out of the antigravity field spawned from her own body and hauled ass towards the Gate. Above them, a trio of Ori fighters gunned down more than double their number of Death Gliders, the lightly shielded fighters faring better than the barely-trained Lucian Alliance pilots. One of them, instead of flying off with the others, dropped something from its belly.

"RINGS!" Oliver shouted as he pulled his bow from his quiver. As he did, between the unsteady motion of the draw and the constant jarring of being thrown over Tommy's shoulder while the man was moving at a full sprint, more than half of his arrows fell out. With a silent curse, Oliver managed to catch one as it fell, drew the string back to his ear, which was awkward to do since he was still being jarred around and carried, and used the middle finger of his left hand, which was holding the bow, to flick the bulge attached to the shaft. The explosive tip now armed, Oliver took aim.

Beep.

A deep breath to steady his aim.

Beep.

As the final, triple 'beep' began, Oliver let the arrow fly. The trinium-alloy tip easily pierced and stuck into the base of the ring platform a dozen or so meters behind them. Then a gram of nearly pure potassium was dropped into a tiny vat of purified liquid naquadah and the ring platform disappeared in a flash of light and a concussive wave that shook the ground and kicked up dirt.

Oliver's lips twisted into a smug smile until Tommy took an energy round to his abdomen. The full six centimeters of ablative armor covering the man's torso took the brunt of the blow, but, even then, Tommy grunted in pain and still managed to redouble his speed. Bringing up the rear of their group, because the woman was built for endurance and not speed, Jack flicked her wrist towards the Ori soldier that had shot Tommy and the man was sent flying twenty meters to slam into a wall. The distance made the crunch of the man's body breaking inaudible, but Oliver had been on the receiving end of that power before. He knew how badly it hurt to have your spine nearly liquefied.

"Fifty meters!" Gabi, their squad's Combat Engineer and overall tech specialist for the Zeta Site, shouted over her shoulder. The only person outpacing her frantic charge for the Gate was Jesse, their CQB specialist. Now there was a body built for speed… to bad his endurance needed to be more enduring.

Then the Mothership entered the atmosphere.

"I don't have an arrow big enough for that!" Oliver groaned out of simple desire to not go insane. When faced with death, apparently Oliver resorted to dark humor.

Tommy, to his credit, managed to laugh without breaking pace. Having Nirrti, Goa'uld 'Goddess' of Death and Corruption, experiment with your DNA and inject you with body-altering drugs and cybernetics apparently had its upsides, the rapid healing factor and enhanced strength being highest ranked amongst them. The minor burn on Tommy's stomach, for example, was already stitching the muscle back together and regrowing the skin. A wound that would take a few weeks to heal on a regular Human would be nonexistent in a matter of hours even if Tommy ran full speed that entire time. The downside to his 'abilities'? He had to eat enough food for three people just to make his stomach not grumble. Getting the man full involved a dump truck full of meat.

They reached the clearing with the Gate and Gabi brought her arm up to her face. The DHD built into her tac-pad would dial the chevrons directly instead of spinning the ring which was perfect for situations where you didn't have time.

"The Iris!" Oliver shouted from his place **still** slung over Tommy's shoulder. "Dial somewhere else!" he ordered as Tommy finally set him down.

Gabi nodded in reply and started dialing the first planet that came to mind. All they needed was to get through the Gate, and waiting for the Iris on the other end to open was not an option they…

"_User alert: orbital strike inbound,"_ the VI built into all of their armor warned them.

There wasn't even time to scream. The silver-ish ball of energy the Ori used as a secondary weapon fired a round at the Stargate and the ring of superconductive metal exploded in a brilliant flash of light, and an immense shockwave of energy. They were clustered together out of reflex, the soldiers defending the two civilians that accompanied them off-world. As such, when the Gate, a half-dialed-connection's worth of energy flowing through it, exploded, all Jack had to do was snarl, glow, and raise her fist.

Gravity obeyed her wordless command and the members of Zeta-1 floated into the air, a shimmering bubble formed around them. The shockwave hit before the heat or the radiation, and their bubble was sent sailing through the air. Everything within two miles of the Gate was leveled, but not them. Jack's barrier held despite the pressure that was propelling it and despite the dozen or so buildings they were sent crashing through. When they finally landed, all tossed to the ground in a heap, only a few yards from the edge of the destruction the blast had caused, Jack was worse for wear.

She was always skinny, yes. Her power, that they barely understood, took energy from her physical form. She wasn't some half-ascended being trapped between plains of existence. She was a mortal woman with powers given to her by some strange element that was infused to her brain by Nirrti some three-hundred-something years ago. After that she was Ba'al's assassin, against her will, before finally being freed of her curse by those she now called her family. They beat her in combat then took her to the Tok'ra. Now she was one of them.

She was always skinny, yes, but she was never skin and bones. Not like she was now.

"What's wrong with her?" Cassidy, their resident agent from the Australian Secret Intelligence Service who specialized in hypnotism as both a weapon and a tool for infiltration, asked with a wheeze, her lungs burning from the heat of the blast.

"She just burnt through a couple million calories over the course of two seconds," Tommy replied as he very gently, and the fact that someone that large could be gentle was strange in Oliver's opinion, rolled Jack over and tilted her head up. He pulled the canteen from her belt and brought it up to her lips. Her canteen, unlike theirs, didn't hold water. Instead, it was a specially formulated energy drink that had enough kick to it to make a fully grown elephant's heart explode from the pure energy coursing through its veins. Each mouthful was over a thousand calories of formulated energy. It helped keep her going in combat when she burned through too much of her physical energy. Today, it just might save her life.

Jack almost coughed up the first three mouthfuls, but started draining the canteen with a wild abandon after that. As she did, Oliver looked around. The Mothership was still hanging over them, the Lucian Alliance were still fighting, and the Ori soldiers were landing in force. Apparently the Zetas weren't the only ones who wanted what the Lucian Alliance had hidden here.

"We need to keep moving," Marcus, their resident linguist, cultural expert, and overall historian, said with a worried glance towards where they could hear people shooting at each other.

"And go where?" Cassidy asked, her tone serious, almost pleading, instead of degrading.

"The Gate's gone," Gabi added needlessly, but they all knew she was just listing things out loud like she always did. "We don't have a ship, the Alliance docks would've been the first thing the Ori attacked, we're not equipped to attempt to take an Ori Mothership with six soldiers and two noncoms, and even if we could get a message off-world, we'd have to wait for a ship to get here."

"Is she able to move?" Oliver asked, ignoring Gabi's thinking out loud method of solving problems.

"Not on her own," Tommy replied.

"Fuck you," Jack grumbled as she tried to push her way up to her feet only to collapse into heavy breathing.

"Activate your hermetic seals," Oliver ordered as he performed that very task. He then walked over to where a metal cap prevented the city's sewage from smelling up the place.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kimi, who served as the squad's sniper, infiltrator, and blade-combat expert, said.

"Would you rather stay on the surface and get shot at by a Mothership?" Gabi asked as she lowered herself down into the hole and started descending the ladder.

Kimi groaned in dismay before following. Cassidy went down after her, Marcus shortly after that, then Jesse went half-way down and stopped. Tommy carried Jack to the edge of the manhole and gently lowered her down to Jesse then followed down after them. As the fighting got closer, Oliver drew another explosive-tipped arrow from his depleted quiver and fired it into the side of a building. As the building's collapse blocked off the street, he kicked the manhole cover into the air like a skateboarder would, jumped down the hole, and left the lid to land on their hiding spot with an accuracy born of decades of experience. By the time the Lucian Alliance got into the courtyard, they found it empty, the exploded building forcing them to take the long way around.

"So, about getting a message off-world," Oliver said as he landed next to his team with all the ease of a cat.

"We'll have to build a subspace beacon and tie it into the broadcasting systems in our armors. That'll let us get a message out, but I'll need to salvage equipment from the shipyards," Gabi replied.

"Then we better get moving," Oliver said as he activated the night vision built into his helmet's visual assistance systems. "The sewage system should get us close to the shipyards. We'll get what we need and assemble the beacon down here. Once the Ori are gone, we can go up to the surface and signal the Zeta Site."


	2. Humanity Under Fire

Chapter 1

Humanity Under Fire

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P3X-727 (Orbit)**

*_USS_ _Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

The _USS_ _Odyssey_, the second ship in the BC-304 line and sister-ship to the _Daedalus_, sat in geosynchronous orbit of the planet designated P3X-727. The planet had been referenced in the Ancient Database on _Atlantis_ as a scientific outpost belonging to a race that no one, not even Doctor Jackson, could translate the name of. Doctor Rodney McKay had stumbled across it while searching for references to the Ancient's war against the Ori in the hopes of gaining some useful Intel on the ascended race. While the database entry didn't say much, which was becoming more and more the expected standard these days, Rodney had assured the SGC that it did mention a 'source of incredible power.' That had gotten General O'Neill's attention and gleeful approval for the mission.

However, due to the lack of a Stargate on the planet in question, and, indeed, an astonishing lack of Gates in this part of the galaxy, the _Odyssey_ had been ordered to taxi SG-1 over to the planet to investigate after having picked up another stranded SG team, and so the crew of the Battlecruiser sat 'twiddling their thumbs,' as crews in these situations had taken to calling the standard checkups they performed during their down time, waiting for SG-1 to finish with their mission.

With the ascended Ori presumed dead but more of their ships and followers making a harder push through the Milky Way Galaxy, the search for more advanced technologies to fight off their rapid domination of both the Free Jaffa Nation and Ba'al's Empire was becoming ever more crucial as everyone knew that Earth would be their next target. As these thoughts crossed his mind, Colonel Ian Davidson, Commanding Officer of the _USS_ _Odyssey_, looked over to Major Marks, his Navigator and Executive Officer. Marks is considered the best navigator in Earth's admittedly small fleet; a fact proven by the constant infighting between commanders for his next station to be on their ship.

"Major, how long do we have until our next scheduled check-in with the SGC?" Davidson asked.

Looking at the ship's clock, which was set to match both SGC and local time, Marks replied, "Five minutes, sir."

Hitting the comms button on his chair, Davidson said, "_Odyssey_ to SG-1, we have five minutes before our next check-in. What's your status?"

**P3X-727 (Surface)**

*Underground Complex (Secondary Control Room)*

"Daniel, how are the translations coming?" Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron Mitchell asked.

"Slowly, but I should be done recording the symbols inside four minutes," Daniel replied as he slowly ran his camera up and down the walls of the bunker. The strange writing found there was both unknown to the people looking at it, yet… oddly familiar in a strange way.

"Sam, how's the download coming?" Cam asked as he turned to the woman with the same rank as his own.

"I'm finally through the first firewall, so it should only take a couple more minutes to finish," she said with emphasis on the 'finally' part. It had taken five-and-a-half hours to break through the alien's security protocols and antivirus software.

_"Copy that, Colonel. Make your way to the rings when you're ready,"_ Davidson replied.

"You got it, Colonel," Mitchell replied before turning to Sam and adding, "I'm sensing a 'but' in there."

Sam did that thing where she made that face that said more than her words could, then looked up to meet his eyes. "I'm through the firewall, but only the first layer. I have access to generalized information on low clearance subjects and basic life-support controls for this area of the bunker. All that it's really good for is learning their programming so that I can gain a snowball's chance in Hell of cracking the higher level firewalls." Sam shook her head as she moved back to the consul. "This code is changing, adapting, dare I even say it's evolving…" Sam trailed off when Mitchell raised an eye at her. "It's **learning** **me** faster than I can learn **it**!" Sam said in a frustrated tone.

"Okay…" Cameron said uncertainly. "I'll go get Teal'c," he added as he walked out of the small sub-control room and into one of the cavernous metal hallways that the massive underground complex was composed of. _'Metal as far as the eye can see,'_ Cam thought to himself as the hallway stretched on for what seemed to be the whole length of the planet.

Teal'c was standing by the 'entrance,' which was really just one of a hundred-or-so ring rooms located throughout the bunker, 'keeping an eye out for any unwanted visitors,' as he put it, but Cameron knew he was trying to get some alone time. Teal'c had been back and forth between the Free Jaffa Council and Earth for the past three weeks and was starting to get tired, though the Jaffa warrior would never admit it. The Free Jaffa Nation kept pushing for the Tau'ri to open negotiations for trading weapons technology. The only problem was that the Jaffa wanted to get their hands on the Asgard designed shields being utilized by the 304s, but refused to trade their plasma cannon designs in return. They kept offering an Al'kesh's cloaking device as 'fair payment,' ignoring, and even dismissing, Earth's claim to already have cloaking technology of their own.

Walking up behind his friend, being careful to make noise so that Teal'c would know he was coming long before he ever arrived, Cameron said, "Hey, Teal'c, we're leaving in about," with a quick look at his watch he said, "four minutes."

Without a word, Teal'c stood up from his place sitting on the cold metal floor, grabbed his oxygen mask, and followed Mitchell back to the main room. The masks had been needed for the first five hours of Sam's battle with the computers, and, after having circulated for over an hour, the air was still stale and smelt of dust as old as the Human race itself.

The duo reached the sub-control room and Cam was just about to ask how things were going when Sam swore at the computer and angrily stomped away from the offender. Judging by the look in her eyes, she was trying not to put a bullet through the only working terminal in the bunker that they had access to.

"Problem?" Cameron dared to ask.

"I'm locked out again!" Sam replied as she furiously paced around the room before returning to the consul. "I was trying to access more data and the computer changed the access codes and the format. THE FORMAT! I've never seen a computer that can do this! Even _Atlantis_ will give a Human without the ATA gene unlimited access to its files once someone with the gene unlocks it and the _Atlantis_ Database is the most advanced computer I've ever seen! This **thing **is mocking me!" Sam shouted up at the ceiling.

"Sam, I think you're losing it," Cam said in a very concerned tone.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Daniel countered in a tone far too casual for the occasion as he continued to record the symbols that were written all over the walls in what, honestly, looked like chalk. "I'm starting to get a basic idea of what the writing's for, but I'm not able to fully decipher it."

"Oh, **do** fill us in," Vala said in a mocking tone as she laid on the ground, her back flat against the cold metal and her legs propped up against the wall so that her body formed an 'L.' She had her Kevlar vest folded up as a pillow under her head and a phone in her hand playing what looked to be the Candy Crush Saga.

Daniel rolled his eyes at her tone, but started explaining anyway. "It's math," he said while waving around at the walls. "This room… it's not a control room, it's a lab. Whoever it is that used it was fond of writing things down…"

"Sounds like they'd get along great with Rush," Cam said jokingly.

"He may be a little… eccentric, but he's a very smart man," Sam piped in.

"Can we focus here?" Daniel asked.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Sorry," Sam and Cam both said in unison.

"This," Daniel said as he gestured around the room again, "was written by someone that makes Sam look like Einstein."

"So they're the ramblings of an idiot?" Sam asked in a dead-serious tone. "What?" she asked when Daniel gave her a weird look. "Einstein was a genius, I'm just smart."

"Oookkkaaayyy…" Daniel said before rethinking his explanation. "Whoever did this makes Sam look like Vala."

"Hey!" Vala protested.

"That comparison makes more sense, but how could Sam ever look **that** stupid?" Cam asked with a chuckle.

"Because she's never created a computer program with the capacity for self-modification and artificial awareness," Daniel answered at a deadpan.

"What?" Cam asked, clearly confused.

"You mean an AI?!" Sam exclaimed in utter disbelief.

"If not, it's the closest thing I've seen to one," Daniel replied, "but the formula is incomplete. It's possible that there's more written down somewhere else, and I'm certainly no expert on this subject, but the math looks… wrong to me. Sam couldn't figure it out either."

"I couldn't?" Sam asked. "I don't remember trying."

"Two hours ago I asked you to do a problem for me," Daniel replied as he dug out the paper again. "You said there were missing variables in the problem I gave you and that you couldn't figure it out."

Sam looked over the paper again and went through the very obvious motion of stopping herself from rolling her eyes. "Missing variables and the constants don't even make sense. Where did you get one-point-two-two from? Last time I checked, that was a constant used in ultrasonic equations."

"The writing on the wall," Daniel replied with a shrug. "Where the creator got it from, I have not the slightest clue."

"So," Sam said as she turned back to the computer consul, "an AI huh? That explains a lot."

**P3X-727 (Orbit)**

*_USS_ _Odyssey_ (Cargo Hold Nine)*

"I hate you fucking Humans so much right now!" Jack swore venomously as she stalked back into the room that the Zetas had commandeered. The small cargo room was empty when they found it and now hosted eight cots and a wall covered in weapons and armor, most of which were being tailored to by their weapons expert.

"What happened this time?" Oliver asked with an annoyed sigh, his eyes not rising to meet hers.

"Two days aboard this ship and I'm ready to start killing people at random!" Jack said before punching the wall closest to her. The flash of blue that rippled across her body upon impact saved her fingers from breaking just as surely as it had saved them all from being vaporized by an exploding Stargate.

"At least you're looking healthier," Oliver replied calmly, still not looking up.

"They feed me shit, but at least it's better than just drinking liquid energy," Jack gripped as she threw herself down on her bunk with a huff.

"You really need to get a hobby," Oliver observed, the entire conversation going on without him looking up from the sketch pad in his lap.

"Ain't that the truth," Jesse snarked from where he was taking apart Oliver's broken assault rifle and trying to get the weapon to work again. As much as Oliver was trained with the bow as his first weapon, he preferred a gun when fighting aliens with plasma weapons. If only he hadn't of used his gun to block a plasma round from hitting his face, he'd still have a working assault rifle.

"Fuck you, Jesse," Jack snapped.

"That would be against regulations," Jesse replied calmly before swearing quietly.

"What's the damage?" Oliver asked.

"It's totaled," Jesse replied. "The heat-sink's gone, the firing rail's been melted into the frame, and the ammo block is fused into place."

"Better the gun than my face," Oliver replied, once again without looking up. Jesse huffed sarcastically in reply before he started stripping the rifle for spare parts.

"What are you drawing anyway?" Jack asked in a far more constrained tone.

"Nothing," Oliver replied in a distant tone.

Jack's response to that was to get up and move onto the bed beside him. "A naked man? There something you're not telling me, Oliver?"

With a sigh of frustration, Oliver shook his head. "He's not naked, I just haven't drawn his body yet," Oliver countered as he kept moving his pencil in graceful motions. One fiber of hair at a time, the man's head was coming into focus as if Oliver was scratching away the paper to reveal something that had been there all along. "And he's not the kind of person you'd want to draw naked anyway."

"Oh? Looks like the type of person I'd like to see naked," Jack snarked.

With another annoyed sigh, Oliver said, "It's my brother, Jack. Don't insult him."

"Why are you drawing your brother naked?" Jack asked.

"Not naked, just lacking a body," Oliver countered again. "And to answer your question, it's a dream," Oliver said, his tones even more distant now than they were before. "I can't get it out of my head, so I'm putting it down on paper," Oliver explained as he started moving his pencil in a new area of the paper, the face done so the body becoming his focus.

As he did, Jack looked at the image captured in Oliver's head then brought into the material world by his hands. She would never admit it, but she envied artistic people. She was older than everyone on this ship, and yet she'd never done anything but kill.

Jack shook the thought from her head and looked at the picture again. The man on the paper looked like Oliver, but obviously wasn't. His face was too ragged, his hair too short, his eyes, despite the whole thing being drawn in varying shades of gray, too dark. If Jack was to guess, this was his brother and the man in question had brown eyes instead of green like Oliver's.

"What happens in the dream?" Jack asked, her tones genuinely curious and not mocking for the first time in weeks.

Oliver's hand finally stopped halfway through the process of materializing a chest covered by a shirt. He looked up at her, eyes hollow. "I never knew my brother," Oliver said. "I was taken from my family when I was young and raised… somewhere else. My father?" Oliver asked. "I know he died defending me, but I can't remember anything else about him. My mother? Not even the slightest inkling what her name is. But my brother? I found him in a cave, a prisoner of war, tortured and on the verge of death. We'd been separated for more than twenty years, and he knew me just by looking into my eyes. I finally found my brother, and he died in my arms not even an hour later."

"I imagine that didn't end well," Jack said with a sadistic smile.

"That's an understatement," Jesse commented from his place still taking Oliver's now useless rifle apart. "I still have nightmares about that day."

"You were there?" Jack asked

"I wish I wasn't," Jesse replied, a distant look in his own eyes.

Then an alarm sounded throughout the ship as the lights dimmed and the Battlecruiser went into a state of power conservation, every last volt of energy that could be spared being fed into the shields. A split second later, Marks' voice announced, _"Two contacts just dropped out of hyperspace. Ori Motherships, bearing down off the port bow."_

"Looks like they found us," Oliver said grimly.

**P3X-727 (Surface)**

*Underground Complex (Auxiliary Lab)*

_"_Odyssey_ to SG-1,"_ Marks's voice came over the radio.

"We read you, Major, what's the problem?" Cam asked, noting the panic in Marks' voice.

_"We've got two Ori Motherships entering weapons range. We're maintaining orbit to engage so that the rings will connect. I've been ordered to bring you back up to the ship."_

With a deep rumble and a violent shake that threw the members of SG-1 to the ground, an alarm in the complex started going off. "What the hell was that?" Cam asked as he picked himself up off of the floor and shook the ringing out of his ears.

_"One of the Ori Motherships is attacking the planet. Colonel, get your asses back up here **now**!" _Davidson's voice ordered over the radio.

"Sir, we've got a problem," Sam said as she frantically tried to override the automated systems. "That shot locked out the ring platforms."

"Then we'll find the next set and…" Mitchell began before he realized Sam was shaking her head. "What's wrong this time?"

"The lockout was initiated across the entire bunker. Even the external doors are now sealed so we can't use the Tok'ra tunneling crystals to reach the surface to beam out either," Sam replied.

_"Sam, I'm picking up a massive power spike coming from your location. It looks like the bunker's shields are coming online,"_ Marks said as the sounds of combat were picked up and carried across the open comms channel. From the sound of things, the _Odyssey_ was, as usual, taking a beating.

"I can't do this!" Sam exclaimed in defeat. "The system's too advanced and I can't keep up with the… hold on…"

**P3X-727 (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

The _Odyssey_ sat in orbit exchanging fire with one of the Ori Motherships. Already the battle was working against their favor. One of the ships started attacking SG-1's position and, judging by the last transmission, had trapped them on the planet, or, rather, under it. Either way it was bad, and, just to make matters worse, the remaining Ori vessel had the _Odyssey_ at a tactical disadvantage. The _Odyssey_'s only saving grace in all of her encounters with the Ori was her maneuverability, but in this encounter she was confined to orbit until SG-1 was back onboard and her shields weren't going to hold out for forever, ZPM-enhanced or not.

The _Odyssey_ unloaded all of her railgun cannons into the much larger vessel bearing down on her, but all that firepower was virtually useless against the superior shields of the Ori Mothership. Beam after beam of the Mothership's main weapon slammed into the shield of the drastically smaller Earth vessel until, after a particularly nasty impact, an alarm began to blare and Marks shouted above the barely controlled chaos, "That last hit caused an overload in one of the port-side shield capacitors."

"What does that mean?" Davidson asked, a slight hint of panic slipping into his tone.

"The shields are holding, but less power is making it out to the barrier," Marks replied. "The shield is losing more power than the ship can put out," he amended when Davidson made a noise of confusion. "Picture it as having leaky pipes and not enough water pressure," he offered in explanation at his commanding officer's persisting look of confusion.

"Turn us around and divert all the power to the starboard capacitors. We have to hold on long enough to get SG-1 out of there. We're not leaving them behind," Davidson ordered. "Colonel Carter, we lost this battle the moment the Ori showed up. The only thing left to determine is whether or not we make it out alive! What's your status?"

_"The power for the shields and the power for the jammer are coming from the same source, and that's one thing I can alter."_

_"What the hell are you doing?"_ Cam asked as the bunker shook more violently around them, the sounds overloading electronics reaching the people in orbit through the radio channel.

_"Bringing more systems online than an aging generator can handle without a proper warm-up,"_ Sam replied in a tone of rage mixed with righteous vengeance.

"Won't that weaken the shield?" Marks asked in a tone of concern as he looked at his terminal and noted that the planet was still being bombarded by the other Mothership.

_"That would be the plan, Major. Once the system detects a threat to its integrity it should… Yes! That's it, I got the jamming device offline. Beam us up before the system corrects itself!"_

Marks didn't hesitate even for a second. In a flash of light the members of SG-1 appeared in the _Odyssey_'s armory, completely unharmed, and stored their gear. The moment he got the all clear, Davidson ordered, "Marks, get us the hell out of here!"

As the Ori Mothership turned to follow the _Odyssey_, the smaller ship's engines flared to life and Marks began to dodge and weave. Orange beams of lethal energy came within inches of impacting the ship only for the _Odyssey_ to nimbly slip away. While the lesser weapons of the Ori Mothership proved capable of striking the small ship, they had significantly less force and were easily handled by the advanced shield. It was just a matter of buying time so that Marks could fire the hyperdrive and jump them into hyperspace leaving the two larger crafts alone in the void of space surrounding P3X-727.

As the _Odyssey_ flew through the 'tunnel' that is its FTL, Marks reported, "Sir, we took some damage before we could jump out."

"Status report," Davidson ordered in a calm but concerned tone.

"The shields are recharging, but we still need to replace portside capacitor Ten-A. Sub-light engines are unaffected; hyperdrive is unaffected; life-support is unaffected; subspace communications are down. Sensors took some concerning damage. Not only are they not operating at one-hundred percent efficiency, one of the relays suffered an overload from the shield capacitor burning out and the range is now reduced to forty-five percent. My main concern is that the inertial dampeners are failing. If we don't drop out before they fail completely, we'll be squished flatter than a sheet of paper by the force our acceleration."

"Drop us out of hyperspace and begin repairs," Davidson ordered in a beaten tone. As the ship lurched unusually violently from the combined forces of the rapid deceleration and weakened dampening field, Davidson added, "Colonel Carter, with the Ori on our tail we'll need the dampeners and shields the most, so I want you to personally oversee the repair of those systems." As he finished giving the order, Sam, who had just walked onto the Bridge, nodded to her superior and motioned for Marks to join her.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Location Unknown)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Corridors) [an hour hater]*

"The capacitor was easy enough to fix. We keep spares handy so it was just a quick replacement and some simple rewiring. The shields are back up to full power on both sides with no notable complications. Subspace sensors are giving us some trouble. We've re-established approximately seventy percent of the range but we're only getting piss-poor resolution and there's a couple of blind spots that I can't fix without finding out what's causing them. Communications are likewise giving us problems. They're back up to about sixty percent max range and the connection will be filled with static at best and inaudible at worst. Despite all that, however, the most pressing problem is the dampeners. We don't keep spares for that system because nobody ever figured this could happen given the overabundance of redundancies in the system design…" Carter explained as she and Davidson walked through the halls of the ship.

"Breathe, Colonel, you're talking too fast," Davidson interrupted her.

"Sorry, sir," Carter apologized as she realized she had, indeed, given the entire report on one lung-full. "In simple terms, we never imagined this could happen so we don't carry spares, and, as a result, we're having trouble fixing the dampeners because we're lacking supplies. We've even tried cannibalizing some of the minor systems, but none of them have the crystals we need."

"I want you, personally, to keep working on the dampeners. We need to get back to Earth for full repairs," Davidson said. "Have someone else look at the sensors while you're busy. You've got a team of engineers onboard, Colonel. They get paid whether you use them or not, so go ahead and use them so they can earn their pay."

"Yes, sir," Carter said with a small smile. It was a running joke between her and Davidson that Sam tended to bite off more than she could chew. He knew better than most given that he had been an uncle of sorts growing up seeing as how the Colonel knew her father.

"We'll be fine, Sam, just take a deep breath and let people help you. You're never alone, always remember that," Ian said as he clasped her shoulder comfortingly.

"Thank you, sir," Sam replied before turning to leave. Davidson was heading to the Bridge, but she needed to be in Engineering. He stopped her with a word.

"Sam."

"Sir?" Sam asked as she turned back to him.

"Breathe," Ian said as he purposefully over exaggerated his own breathing.

"I'll do my best, sir," Sam replied with a half-smile and a  
>nod.<p>

After Sam walked away to follow his orders, Davidson continued on his way to the Bridge to relax in his chair. He figured he would get off of his feet for a few moments while still being somewhere he could easily be found should he be needed. He could've gone to his personal quarters, but he liked reports to be delivered in person, hence the reason he had walked the halls with Sam. Sometimes information was lost over comms, or simply left out because piercing eyes weren't prying into your soul, forcing you to be truthful and unforgetful.

However, the Bridge did not offer the peace he was looking for, though he would later question how he had ever thought that the Bridge of a warship could ever offer its Commanding Officer peace. As soon as he walked in and sat down, Marks' screen started beeping.

"Sir, sensors are detecting a massive number of nuclear detonations," the young Major reported as he adjusted his controls in an effort to get a better reading.

"Where?" was Davidson's simple reply. He was sitting in his chair, eyes closed, head leaned back, hand on his nose applying pressure to ever so slightly relieve his rapidly growing migraine.

"The planets in the systems nearest our current location," Marks reported. "We've already detected over a hundred separate detonations on twelve planets, and the nukes are still flying."

Hitting the ship-wide-comms, Davidson said, "Carter, I really need that hyperdrive online," in a tired tone.

"I'm on it, sir," was heard from the back of the Bridge where Sam had gone to consult with one of the other engineers.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Cyrannus Sector (Dead Space)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

The _Battlestar Galactica_ drifted silently through the void of space. The once powerful and deadly warship was being decommissioned and turned into a museum, or, at least, it was supposed to be. The communication that had just come through the ship's Combat Information Center had changed all that.

The Colonies of Kobol were under attack by the Cylons, the Children of Humanity. In a move that reeked of cowardice, all twelve of their once proud worlds had been nuked from orbit by the Cylons in a surprise attack that no one saw coming. Then again, that was the purpose of a surprise attack. With the shipyards in orbit suffering the same fate as the worlds above which they once orbited, there was no hope of rebuilding the Colonials' lost forces, no hope for fighting back, no hope for rebuilding, no hope for survival as now only a handful of ships were left fighting a war they didn't have the forces left to win, yet could not afford to lose.

The _Galactica_ wasn't one of those ships. She couldn't be. She had no munitions for her guns_,_ no ammo for her cannons_,_ and no missiles to launch at the enemy. So, instead, she drifted through space trying to figure out what was happening to her homeworlds. William Adama, the ageing Commander of the ageing Battlestar, found himself constantly wishing that his ship still had her ammo stocks, but no amount of wishing could change what was happening. In a matter of minutes, the robotic abominations his people should never have created to begin with had reduced the billions of people of their proud race into a few tens-of-thousands running for their lives on a handful of unarmed, civilian ships. There were only a few ships in the fleet that had any type of arment worth mentioning, and _Galactica_, despite being the biggest and most lethal, was still without ammunition.

They had no real idea on where to head, nor did they think they had anywhere to go. The only thing guiding them was the sacred religious scrolls that might not even be based on facts. Needless to say, Commander Adama wasn't convinced this so-called 'Thirteenth Colony' was really out there, nor was he in anyway convinced that, should it exist, they would be able to find it, but hope, even a fool's hope, was better than nothing.


	3. Dead Space

Chapter 2

Dead Space

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Location Unknown)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Engineering) [three days later]*

"How are those dampeners coming along?" Davidson asked as he stepped onto the Engineering Deck.

There was one thing that separated the Engineering Deck from the Engine Room aside from their locations, and, seeing as how they were literally across the hall from each other, that argument wasn't even all that valid. No, what separated them was their function. The Engine Room housed the ship's sub-light and hyperdrive engine controls and crystal trays. The Engineering Deck housed the ship's primary power plant, the main computer core, and the crystal trays for everything **but** the engines. It was also far more heavily shielded and had the added function of serving as a backup command center in the event that the Bridge was ever destroyed.

"Not good," Sam's muffled voice replied from deep within the complex maze of machinery and wiring. She crawled her way free of entanglement and stood to face the Colonel before continuing her report. "The damage was worse than we originally thought," Sam said as she tried to wipe grease off of her face but only succeeded in smearing it further. "We pulled out all the crystals and checked all of the wiring and I'm pretty sure we can't fix the problem without more parts."

"What's wrong?"

"Which answer do you want?" Sam asked with a grimace.

"The one that actually answers the question."

"The inertial dampeners work in two stages," Sam began as she pointed to one area of the room. "These crystals run what we refer to as the internal inertial dampeners. They serve the function of protecting the crew from the rapid rate of acceleration involved in everything from hyperspace travel to simple sub-light propulsion. The _Odyssey_ is capable of moving at speeds great enough to kill even the strongest of organic species, as are most other spacecraft, and we use the dampeners to lessen that energy to manageable levels, but it's not a perfect system. Aside from organic species, the _Odyssey_ is also capable of accelerating to speeds that would tear the ship itself apart, and I don't mean hyperspace travel either.

"Imagine the _Odyssey_ is a paper airplane. If that airplane travels at sixty miles per-hour, it'll fall apart under the rate of its acceleration before reaching sixty miles per-hour because paper was never meant to move that fast. Now accelerate that same paper airplane to beyond the speed of light. It would be vaporized by the energy. Failing that, accelerate to the speeds we move at to avoid the Ori and pull one of Marks' famous dodging maneuvers, and, without that field, the ship would break apart. The _Odyssey_'s sub-light drive, when being enhanced by the ZPM, is capable of accelerating the ship to roughly two-hundred-thousand kilometers **per-second**. Granted we never move that fast, but, even without the ZPM, the generators on the ship can still get us up to roughly… seventy-seven-thousand kilometers per-second.

"Then you have the hyperdrive and our generators can get us up to somewhere around six-thousand light years per-hour. Add the ZPM to that and we're moving at over thirty-one-thousand light years per hour. If we were to just accelerate to that speed, the hull would be torn apart without proper protection. To counter this, we use the hyperdrive to open a 'window' into a sub-dimension of space… Basically, we slip into a massless corridor of subspace where Einstein's Theory of Relativity doesn't apply…"

"You're losing me, Sam," Davidson interrupted.

"Right, sorry," Sam apologized as she thought of a way to say what needed saying. "Uh… back to the paper plane. We can use the sub-light drive to reach the speed at which we tear the ship apart, and that's while we're moving in a straight line. Add in the fact that we can actually turn and pull off maneuvers while at these speeds and the _Odyssey_ would fall apart if we tried to outmaneuver the Ori. To compensate, we use the **internal** inertial dampening field to protect the **crew**, and the **external** inertial dampening field to reduce the stresses on the **hull**. Picture it as a second shield with the sole purpose of blocking kinetic energy from overstressing the hull. Make sense?"

"A shield to protect the hull separate from the shield to protect the crew separate from the shield to protect the ship as a whole," Davidson summarized with a satisfied nod.

"Good, now replace 'shield' with 'field' and imagine it's like a magnet. The ship is charged with a positive magnetic field to oppose the positive magnetic field that is inertial energy. Like polls repel each other so the ship resists the inertial energy."

"Why 'field' instead of 'shield?' I liked the shield analogy better."

"Because 'shield' is inaccurate. It's more like a field in that it…"

"Colonel," Davidson interrupted with a raised hand.

"Okay then, sticking to the shield analogy, the barrier needs to recharge. We can't put out a constant field… we can't maintain a stable **shield** anymore for reasons I can't explain, so we're trying to install a capacitor. If we can build up energy to sustain the shield for a short time then recharge the capacitor the same way we work the actual shields, then we might be able to move again. We'll be moving like the Wraith in that we'll jump a short distance and drop out for a short time to allow the capacitor to recharge then jump again. The difference is that, with the Wraith, it's a matter of the hull getting 'sick' and, with us, it's a matter of…"

"What's our status in terms of movement?" Davidson interrupted again.

"For now, we're restricted to minimal sub-light speeds and absolutely no hyperspace travel. The internal inertial dampeners are just fine, so we're protected from acceleration, but the external field isn't working so the ship is flying naked to the force of its own acceleration. I think the shield buffer overloading like it did caused a secondary overload, but I can't be sure… yet. Sorry, I wish I had better news," Sam said with a solemn look on her grease-smeared face.

"At least we're still mobile in some small way," Davison said comfortingly.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Medical Lab)*

"I don't know what you are, son, but it's not Human," the doctor said as he checked the nonexistent burn mark on Tommy's stomach.

"What's the matter, Sookie? Don't you want my blood?" Tommy asked in his best, dark and mysterious tone. The doctor blinked at him before simply refocusing on the 'wound.' "You don't watch True Blood?"

"I've been to Pegasus," the doctor replied. "I know what a real 'vampire' does to its victims."

"Oh, yeah. The Wraith," Tommy agreed in a disgusted tone. "Of all the perversions of nature."

"You're one to talk," the doctor pointed out.

"Life's a bitch, and so was Nirrti. Enough said," Tommy grumbled as he pulled his shirt down to stop the doctor from examining unafflicted flesh.

"Yeah, but what she did to you…"

"Was still done against my will, no matter how 'beneficial' you think it might be to humanity. Don't pretend to understand things you know nothing about. I went through hell when she did this to me. Now, as you so adequately put it, I don't know what I am, but it's not Human."

"I didn't mean to offend you," the doctor said.

"Funny how that works," Tommy countered as he hopped down and grabbed the papers Oliver had sent him in here with. "The more you say 'no offense intended' the more offensive your next comment is going to be."

By the time Tommy finally stopped stomping around, he was, to his surprise, in the 302 bay. Much to his utter satisfaction, the bay was empty, the fighters were unmanned, and no one tending to them. The daily systems checks must be done already, so he found a nice, dark corner and sat down. From the pocket of his borrowed BDUs, because wearing six centimeters of ablative armor on a ship full of your own people was sure to be frowned upon, Tommy pulled a picture.

She had soft blonde hair, honey toned skin, ice-blue eyes, long legs… just the thought was enough to make him homesick. The picture? That was his own form of personal torture. He left her behind, so her face hurting him was only fair. That was the thing about being the first person in his family to go military. He wasn't like Jesse, a third generation soldier. He knew how it felt to have your loved ones, be they your father, mother, uncle, or other, constantly not be there. Tommy didn't. He couldn't. No one else in his family was willing to pull themselves out of the dirt they lived in. They wanted someone else to do the work for them. So he was the first.

She had been the reason.

And he left her.

"You know," Kimi said as she walked over and sat next to him, "if I didn't know you better I'd say you were sulking."

"I'm not in the mood, Kimi. Go play with someone else's head," Tommy replied as he tucked the picture back into his pocket.

"But I so enjoy playing with yours," Kimi taunted as she playfully punched him in the arm. "Look, Oliver's got us doing guard duty on the prisoner. I heard what the doctor said about you."

"Of course you did. Fricking assassins hear everything," Tommy muttered darkly.

"People have said stuff like that about me for years, Tommy. Calling me an assassin doesn't hurt me anymore. I know what I was, and I'm working to be better than that. You, on the other hand, are one of the few people I know who are still pure of heart. Just because someone's perverted your body doesn't mean that your soul's been altered. Only you can change yourself, Tommy. I learned that the hard way, and what I went through to get to where I am today nearly killed me. I had to…" Kimi trialed off, a hitch in her throat.

"If one of us is less Human than the other, it's me. I've killed for reasons I can't even justify to myself anymore, and I did it because people told me it was why I was born. They told me that Athena had plans for me, and I fell for it, but you, Tommy, your soul is still clean. You've never done the wrong things for the wrong reasons. Hell, you've never even done the right things for the wrong reasons. I envy you, Tommy. I really do. Don't let a delusion alien who thought herself a God playing with your genes ruin your life. You don't stop being Human until **you** decide you're not Human anymore. Just remember that," Kimi said before standing to leave.

She took three steps before Tommy asked, "Is it too late for me?"

"To make amends with her?" Kimi asked to which Tommy nodded. "Is she engaged to another man?" A head shake. "Then you're still in this fight, Tommy. Just don't give up until Hades shows his ugly face."

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

After a quick and rather eventful stop at the Ragnar Anchorage, the _Battlestar_ _Galactica_ was fully stocked on ammo, munitions, and missiles and was now out in dead space leading the surviving Colonial Fleet to the safety of Earth. Every thirty-three minutes, the Cylons would make an attempt to eradicate the last remnants of Humanity and _Galactica_ would hold them off until the civilian fleet could make their next jump to safety.

"Sir, we've reached the mark. The Cylons should be here any moment now," Dualla reported in a tired tone.

"Order the fleet to start jumping," Adama replied in the same, worn-out fashion.

"Aye, sir, civvies have begun jumping away," Dualla, often called Dee, said after relaying his orders.

"Good," was Adama's monotone response.

"DRADIS contact. It's the Cylons. In bound missiles… radiological alarm," Lieutenant Gaeta reported. The calm in his voice at such a lethal statement was a recent acquisition after so many situations identical to this one playing out. That, or the man was just that tired. They were all tired.

So very tired.

**Dead Space (Locations Unknown)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"I don't know, ma'am, it just appeared out of nowhere," Marks was saying to the woman leaning over his shoulder as he frantically worked at his terminal.

A few moments ago an unknown ship had appeared in a flash of light and a burst of energy without any other explanation. There was no hyperspace event to prelude its arrival which baffled the navigator to no end, and, to make matters worse, the sensors couldn't decipher the energy spike released upon the ship's arrival due to the damage done to the system by the Ori.

"Do you know if they've detected us yet?" Gabi asked.

Professor Gabriella Naco, most commonly referred to as Gabi, was a young woman involved in the SGC's Research and Development division for seven years before simply dropping off the face of the Earth about three years back leaving most to believe that she had been abducted by the Goa'uld, killed, or quit the program. None of which were true, as it turned out. Marks knew her by reputation and Sam's recounting of her time as Gabi's mentor. He also knew that she was the one working on fixing their sensors sense she had, personally and almost single-handedly, created the smaller version of their ship-board sensors to be used on the F-302s. Needless to say, she was the most qualified person for the job, but Marks still wasn't sure what she was doing on the ship to begin with. Until five days ago, he was amongst those who thought she was dead.

It almost seemed… convenient that they had picked her up on their way to P3X-727. Then again, the men and women she had been with on that planet when the eight people in question were beamed up had given Marks the chills. He'd never seen an SG team be deployed while so heavily armed. The fact that they then needed to be picked up by a ship because the Gate was destroyed was also a very unnerving fact, one that had rumors spreading across the ship like a wildfire as to just who these people really were. Sam vouching for Gabi was the only reason the other engineers were willing to work with her, and she seemed nice enough, but the other people in her team…

They ate at their own table in the Mess surrounded on all sides by at least one empty table between them and the nearest other occupant in the room. The aura they put off was repulsive in such a strange way. If you were in danger, you'd want them near you. Their attitude spoke of absolute certainty of protection. If you wanted to sleep soundly without nightmares, you wanted to be on the other side of the galaxy from them. The way that the short-haired woman, in particular, looked at everyone, the way her eyes hungered for blood, was very disturbing.

"No, ma'am, it looks like they haven't," Marks replied.

"Cloak the ship." The order came from Colonel Davidson as he walked back onto the Bridge of his ship.

"Already done," Gabi said dismissively before realizing who was behind her. "Sorry, sir," she immediately corrected with a respectful nod. "It was the only logical move to make. We cloaked the _Odyssey_ the moment the other ship arrived."

Davidson gave a single nod and sat in his chair. "Run a full scan and move us away from the other vessel." As the order was carried out, three more ships appeared followed closely by two more. Roughly three minutes passed before a sizable number of ships were sitting outside the _Odyssey_'s view ports. After about five minutes of smaller ships appearing, another moment passed and a huge ship, about five times the size of the _Odyssey_ herself, appeared alongside the rest.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [thirty minutes later]*

"What are they doing?" Vala asked in a bored tone.

"Just sitting there," Daniel replied with a shrug.

"Yes, Daniel, I can see that," Vala said with a roll of her eyes. "**Why** are they **just** sitting there?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Daniel asked before thinking better of it and shaking his head to keep her from answering. "We've intercepted a couple of communications and started deciphering their language. Other than that, they've launched fighter patrols then… nothing."

"Should we try to communicate with them?" Mitchell asked.

"I'm not sure that would be wise just yet. We're still scanning their ships, and trying to figure out who they are. I've never seen anything like those ships, not even in my ascended memories," Daniel replied.

"But they do speak English?" Mitchell asked.

"English? No. A known language from Earth? … Kind of. They're speaking a strange mix between Greek and Latin, which **would** make sense if they were actually from Earth," Daniel replied.

"How so?" Mitchell asked.

"When the Greeks conquered the early Latin-speaking countries, they actually adopted a lot of the cultural aspects of everyday life from the countries they conquered. Where the English explorers forced the Native Americans to learn their languages and believe in their religions, the Greeks actually did the opposite. By the time the Roman Empire fell, their population spoke a similar mix of the languages, believed in a mixture of their religions, and practiced a mixture of their cultural practices. I just can't figure out how aliens are speaking a similar dialect," a man explained from his spot in the doorframe.

"Professor Marcus Howard," Daniel said in way of introduction. "He's been helping me figure out the specifics of their language structure."

"The _Odyssey_ has its own you?" Vala asked.

"I'm not part of the _Odyssey_'s crew. Colonel Davidson was simply nice enough to pick up my team when we were stranded on a Lucian Alliance lab world after the Ori blew up the Stargate," Marcus replied calmly despite the severity of such a statement. It's not every day that you survived an Ori attack on a planet.

Mitchell whistled at that before saying, "Damn, what made them do that?"

"The Lucian Alliance were attempting to develop better shields for their Ha'tak. We were sent to steal the plans and sabotage their facilities, but the Ori showed up and things got… understandably chaotic," the tall man with dirty blond hair said with a shrug. "I've finished going over the recordings we have. There's not much to say that hasn't already been said."

"Thank you," Daniel said as he accepted the tablet computer that Marcus handed him.

"Do you need help with anything else?" Marcus asked helpfully.

Daniel, already busy reading the file on the small device, looked up. "Nope," he said in a kind tone. "You're very thorough," he added after glancing down at the report again.

"The modified translation software has also been uploaded to the _Odyssey_'s mainframe," Marcus added.

"Really? Thanks," Daniel said with a smile. "You know, I could've used your help deciphering the Furling language back when we still had access to it."

Though no one noticed it, Marcus flinched at that. It was subtle, but it would've been noticed if anyone had been watching. "We had access to the Furling language?" Cam asked.

"What's a Furling?" Vala piped in.

"It was a few years ago," Daniel replied in a distracted tone. It was a matter of skill and practice that he could read the report and spin a tale at the same time. "The first time the Stargate was activated they dialed it manually and did it by accident, but they recorded it on camera. We copied the address and went to save the first man to ever use the Gate who ended up stranded there because the DHD on the receiving world was broken, he didn't know how to use it, and the people who sent him there couldn't duplicate the feat. He had been stranded on the planet they sent him to for decades and he had access to a device that was used by four alien races to communicate using the universal language of the universe, the elements on the Periodic Table of Elements.

"It was one of, if not **the** first meeting place for the Alterans, the Asgard, the Nox, and the Furlings, otherwise known as the Alliance of Four Great Races. It was that world that first told us that the Alliance existed and it was a while later that we first met the Nox, then the Asgard. The Furlings are the only of the Great Races that we've never met or had any interaction with. Most people think they're all gone, but no one can say where they went. We know they didn't ascend with the Ancients if only because they've never made theirselves known."

"Great news," Sam said walking onto the Bridge and interrupting their conversation, Davidson right behind her, "the inertial dampeners are back online. We're not sure how long it'll last, but the capacitor system is online and…"

She was cut off as another two ships appeared out of nowhere and started firing at the ones that were just sitting there. In the battle that resulted there were no shields, no energy weapons, and no fancy maneuvers. Only missiles and flak defenses to destroy them before they could impact the hull of the massive warship. The few missiles that targeted the lesser ships seemed to be the main concern, however, as the large ship did its absolute best to take out those while taking the occasional missile to her own hull, the thick armor shrugging off the lethal force with an ease that spoke wonders of its engineering.

The sudden change in the scene made the crew of the _Odyssey_ spring into action out of reflex. In less than a second, the shields were up, the railguns were loaded and armed, the cloak was diverted to the shields, evasive maneuvers were implemented to take them away from the action, and a hyperspace course was being calculated.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"DRADIS contacts, two Cylon Baseships. Wait… make that three DRADIS contacts. Two Cylon Baseships bearing down on the fleet and an unknown craft that's barely registering on our scans has been detected off to the side of the fleet," Dualla reported.

"Get the civilians out of here! Set weapons to intercept all of the missiles from any of the ships. As soon as the fleet is gone, jump us out of here, and, Dee, don't wait for my order," Adama ordered, somewhat unnerved by the arrival of this stealth ship that, undoubtedly, the lesser DRADIS systems on the civilians ships had failed to detect.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"What do we know?" Davidson asked as he sat in his chair.

"Scans indicate that the ships that were here first have humanoid life-signs while the newly arrived ships don't," Sam said reading Marks's screen over his shoulder.

"Target the unmanned ships. If we're going to blow something up, it might as well be something without people on board," Mitchell said. When everyone looked at him accusingly, he added, "What? I said **if** we have to blow something up."

"I don't feel like blowing up anything when I don't know the full situation. Carter, are we clear to jump?" Davidson asked, his tone of voice making sure everyone knew the conversation was over.

"Yes, sir, but I'm not entirely sure how far we'll get before the capacitors give out," Sam replied.

"Marks, take us into hyperspace," Davidson ordered. As Major Marks powered up the intergalactic FTL drive and dampeners, sparks flew from the rigged together system in engineering and the ship lurched forward into the forming hyperspace window only to drop out a few seconds later as the fail-safes kicked in, stopping the crew from being flattened as the inertial dampeners failed yet again. "What just happened?" Davidson asked in an annoyed tone.

"The capacitors are fully discharged," Sam replied. "Hmm… I expected them to last longer than that. I'll have to keep working on the system." With that, Sam walked off, a tablet in her hands as she walked the ship and worked on equations at the same time.

As she walked out of sight, the sensors picked up ships appearing all around them. After the _Odyssey_ was cloaked and moved away from the point of the other ships' appearance, Davidson asked, "How long until the dampeners are online?"

"Roughly half an hour," Marks said after bringing up the diagnostic systems.

"Alright, if the last encounter with these people is anything to go by, the larger ship should appear soon…" Daniel began.

"That's assuming that it wasn't destroyed," Cam interrupted. Again several looks were thrown his way. "What? They were outnumbered."

Ignoring the comment, Daniel said, "When that ship arrives, we should open communications and hope for the best," with a look at Davidson to confirm the plan was okay with him.

"Why?" a new voice asked from the entrance to the Bridge, his tone asking, without saying, 'Are you stupid or mentally retarded?'

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Sir, we detected a large energy spike right before that unknown ship vanished. We have two more ships to jump out then we can go," Dee reported.

"Tell those ships to hurry." Adama was worried that the unknown ship had found a way to follow the civilian fleet, though he would never admit it. As far as they knew, no one could track an FTL jump.

"All ships are clear, jumping us out now." There was a moment of distortion as space folded around the ship and the _Galactica_ reappeared with her civilian fleet, the shepherd returning to tend to its flock. When the distortion cleared, Dualla said, "All ships present and accounted for. Minimal damage to _Galactica_."

"Launch the CAP, and start the clock," Adama ordered. A series of 'Aye sir's confirmed that the crew had heard him.

Walking with him to his office, Colonel Saul Tigh, Adama's Executive Officer, said, "Don't forget you have a meeting with the President in fifteen minutes. _Colonial One_ will be docking in ten."

With a deep sigh, Adama said, "Great, more politics. I want active DRADIS scans of the area every five minutes. We couldn't detect that last ship until it was right beside us, and I don't want any more surprises."

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"When that ship arrives, we should open communications and hope for the best," Daniel said with a look at Davidson to confirm the plan was okay with him.

"Why?" a new voice asked from the entrance to the Bridge, his tone asking, without saying, 'Are you stupid or mentally retarded?' "Because we happen to be in the same place two times in a row? That's hardly a valid reason to get between two warring factions. Earth has enough enemies to deal with before you go off and add another one. The last thing we need is another Ori situation."

"Why do we get blamed for that?" Vala asked indignantly.

"Because it was our fault," Daniel replied dismissively. "Who are you?"

The man, still standing in the doorframe to the Bridge, crossed his arms over his chest. "Colonnello Oliver Viride, Italian Special Forces. You're not answering my question."

"Doesn't really have to," Mitchell pointed out, his own stance one of aggression.

"The Systems Lords, Ba'al, the Lucian Alliance, the Ori, the Wraith, the Genii… the list goes one and can be made longer by listing the specific enemies involved in each group. Earth can name several very powerful races as their enemies, do you really want to add another one? Can we really afford to have another war on our hands right now? Are not the Ori enough of a threat to worry about? Do you really want to get us involved with these people when we don't **have** to be? This is why SG-1 has such a bad reputation. You don't **think** before you act! Earth can't take on another enemy right now!"

"He has a point," Davidson agreed before adding, "Whoever he is."

"Sir, with all due respect…" Daniel began, and so the argument took flight.


	4. First Contact

Chapter 3

First Contact

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Location Unknown)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Briefing Room) [thirty minutes later]*

After nearly twenty minutes of arguing, the Italian aboard the _Odyssey_, who apparently showed up out of nowhere, had talked Daniel into waiting until they had more data before contacting this new fleet of unknowns. Now he, SG-1, and the senior staff of the _Odyssey_ sat in the Briefing Room going over all the sensors data they had available to them.

"This is the _Galactica_," Daniel said as a picture of the largest ship popped up on the screen behind him. The picture showed a blown up photo of the word '_Galactica_' painted on the ship's hull.

At this point Carter jumped in saying, "They have no shields or energy weapons. Their primary form of defense is a layer of armor that, in simulations, can withstand direct, low yield nuclear strikes. We also know that they have nuclear weapons of such a caliber, which leaves us to infer that the ships that attacked them have similar weapons."

Daniel then picked up with, "What we know about their cultural background is gained from studying their language, but their ship designs resemble…"

He was cut off as an announcement came over the ship-wide intercom. _"Two unknown contacts just appeared on sensors,"_ Marks' voice announced. With that, the people assembled in the Briefing Room hurried to the Bridge. Well, all but one who simply sat there looking disappointed.

"This will end in disaster," he said to the empty room.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

As Colonel Davidson and the others ran onto the Bridge, Marks said, "Same thing as last time, sir. Two ships showed up out of nowhere and started firing on the fleet. The fleet's ships started vanishing as soon as they did."

"How are we not seeing them coming? Is it the damage to the sensors?" Davidson asked.

"It's a possibility I won't rule out. Gabi says that the relays aren't getting proper reception because the external dishes were damaged by energy that bled-through the shields. She and a few of the members of the repair team are suiting up to take a closer look at the arrays," Sam replied as she looked over Marks' shoulder.

"This could be good," Daniel mused.

"Damaged sensors is good how?" Davidson asked.

"What? No, not that," Daniel replied with a dismissive wave. "We play hero. Save them from their enemy to gain their trust."

"It could work," Mitchell admitted with a noncommittal shrug, "or it could blow up in our faces. If they don't believe in coincidental meetings then they'll think it was a setup. Add to that the fact that the jammers aren't operating at peak efficiency and I'm willing to bet that the big ship can detect us when we're not actively cloaked."

"Alright, you guys are the experts here. What's your opinion, Sam?" Davidson asked, turning to face the blonde who was, arguably, the smartest person in the SGC.

With a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look, Sam said, "I have to agree with Cam. If they think it's a setup they'll be on guard, but I also see Daniel's point. Some people appreciate help like that. Honestly it could go either way and it'll depend entirely on who they are as a people, not our skills in negotiating."

"Ok then. Get us battle ready, looks like we're playing hero today," Davidson said to the helmsman. Once again the shields were raised, the weapons armed, the engines primed and the cloak dropped.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

As the Cylons began their attack, the Colonial Fleet started to jump away. After about a minute, DRADIS barley registered another ship in the area. As the unknown ship, which matched the general characteristics of the one from before, in other words, the fact that they couldn't get so much as the size of the damned thing, turned into the battle, the Cylons ignored it and continued their attack on _Galactica_.

From his post at _Galactica_'s DRADIS table, Lieutenant Gaeta watched in utter bewilderment as the comparatively tiny ship banked into the firefight and started to fire on one of the far larger Cylon Baseships from a range that should have been impossible while moving at speeds that should've killed the crew.

As the ship came into the Cylon's much shorter firing range, it was locked onto to and received a return volley from several missiles. The missiles were intercepted by the guns of the smaller ship which then flew 'over' the Cylon Baseships and launched a single missile of its own.

"Radiological alarm!" Dee announced.

The warning rang through the CIC above the clamor of the impacts to the outer hull just before the missile detonated in the void between the two Baseships. The resulting nuclear explosion was far greater than the Colonials thought possible. After the EM field created by the single explosion of one nuclear weapon cleared and the sensors were no longer blinded, the _Galactica_ was able to see the results of the blast. One of the Baseships had been utterly shattered by the shockwave and the other's arms were twisted, blackened, and aflame. The Raider bays were in the process of suffering the same fate and the secondary explosions tore the arms off. The core of the ship, now completely compromised, simply gave out and exploded along with the rest of the starfish-shaped ship.

"What's the status of the fleet?" Adama asked, a tight edge to his voice.

"There's still three more ships that need to jump out," Dee said from her place at the comms station. "Make that one… The last ship is away."

"Get us back to the fleet," Adam ordered with shock mixed with fear clear in his tone.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"Colonel Davidson, we're detecting a buildup of power in the _Galactica_ that's identical to the one detected on the other ships before they vanished," Marks reported. "I estimate less than a minute before they have enough power to leave.

"They're leaving? Without saying 'thanks'?" Mitchell asked.

"So it would seem," Teal'c replied in an 'isn't that obvious?' tone while doing that… thing he always does with his eyebrows.

"Alright, take us out," Davidson ordered. Space rent and tore, and, when the window was fully formed, the _Odyssey_ jumped into hyperspace.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Sir! The unknown craft vanished after another high energy spike," Gaeta reported in a concerned tone.

"If they've been following us they could be headed towards the fleet. Jump us out **now**!" Adama ordered. After a brief moment of distortion, the _Galactica_ reappeared with the rest of the civilian fleet. A few seconds later a 'cloud' appeared on the outer edge of the Colonial Fleet, picked up only as an immense energy spike. From it came the unknown ship, which shot out then rapidly decelerated, coming to a full stop a few feet from the now vanished cloud. "Lock weapons on that ship, but wait for my order to fire. Put us between them, and the fleet."

"Sir, we're being hailed," Gaeta reported.

"Put it through the speakers," Adama ordered.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

The speakers crackled as the static of the primitive communications system bled through the _Odyssey_'s comms channel. Making a few adjustments, Sam said, "That's as clear as I can make it. Sorry."

"You did your best," Daniel said approvingly. Turning his attention to the open line, he listened to the voice and breathed a sigh of relief when a slightly accented variation of English came over the fuzzy channel. That would make things easier for the rest of the people listening in. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that, we didn't hear you clearly?" Daniel asked as he mentally thanked Marcus for updating the translation software which would work both ways.

"_This is _Galactica_ Actual, Commander Adama speaking. You are approaching the Colonial Fleet. Stand down or you will be fired upon,"_ a commanding voice ordered them.

"Commander Adama, this is Doctor Daniel Jackson of the Tau'ri vessel the _USS_ _Odyssey_. We will cut power to our engines, but will keep our weapons armed. No offense, but we trust you just about as much as you trust us." Over the years, Daniel had learned how to be stern yet open in negotiations, a skill that he found was best used when dealing with the Priors. Given their blind religious devotion, however, it never worked, but it was almost always the best way to go.

"_That is unacceptable, Doctor Jackson. Your weapons will be disabled as well,"_ Adama countered.

After a moment's pause, Daniel said, "Your weapons are locked onto our ship. So long as they remain that way, we will keep our weapons active."

"_You are approaching __**our**__ fleet, Doctor. Don't mistake our hospitality for weakness."_

"What hospitality? As soon as we arrive after helping you, you treat us as the enemy, yet we have done nothing to deserve this," Daniel countered.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

Shutting off the radio, Adama asked, "How long until we can jump the fleet?"

"We still have to calculate the course, and distribute it. The main problem there it that we risk them intercepting the transmission," Tigh said.

Turning the radio back on, Adama said, "So you haven't, have you? Then explain something to me. Why is this the third time we've seen your ship in such a close timeframe."

"_The first time was because you actually stumbled onto __**our**__ position. The second was because our hyperdrive failed mid-jump and we ended up in the same location as your fleet and we tried to __**help**__ you. This time was because we followed you here to see if __**you**__ could help __**us**__,"_ Daniel replied.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Cargo Hold Nine)*

"I know that look," Kimi said when Oliver walked in. "What are you pouting about now?"

"I do not pout, Kimi," Oliver replied as he sat on his bunk and sighed in frustration. "But, to answer your poorly worded question, we're going to war with yet another alien species, once again at the bequest of SG-1. Honestly, what do they expect to gain by working with a race as technology underwhelming as a bunch of iron-clad ships in space throwing nukes around?"

"Ion?" Jesse suggested.

"Nukes?" Cassidy added.

"The hull's not damaged so we don't need iron, and our nukes are infinitely superior to theirs," Oliver countered. "This is just another instance where Earth is sticking its nose where it doesn't **need** to!"

"Whether we need to or not, we're going to," Jesse said from where he was working on piecing together a patch for the hole in Tommy's armor. "It's in our nature. We're too curious for our own good."

"Curiosity killed the cat, as the Americans say," Kimi taunted with a devious smile.

"I'm agreeing with you, Kimi. You can't get a rise out of someone when they're agreeing with you," Jesse calmly replied before walking off. He had set up a small welding station in the work room down the hall. For obvious reasons, welding in the presence of those not trained in the art was dangerous. The light from a weld bit was bright enough to blind someone if they stared directly at it.

"Well, he's not fun," Kimi complained.

"Who's pouting now?" Oliver asked with a smirk.

"So what are we dealing with?" Cassidy interrupted their argument before it could begin.

"I'll be sure to ask Gabi when she gets back from fixing the sensors," Oliver replied.


	5. Negotiations

Chapter 4

Negotiations

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"_And why should we help you?"_ Adama's cold voice asked over the radio and Daniel silently thanked the fact that this wasn't a video conference as he was sure that this man had a mean looking face. His concern for his people was clearly evident, however, and Daniel respected that.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because **we** helped **you**?" Mitchell snapped back, earning him a quick slap in the back of the head from Vala and a stern elbow to the ribs from Sam. Everyone knew to let Daniel handle these things.

With a concerned tone, Marks silenced the comms channel and said, "Sir, a fighter's making its way around the _Galactica_. Judging by the way its hugging the hull I'd be willing to bet they're trying to get a look at us without us knowing it."

"Should I be concerned?" Davidson asked.

"Well, while they'll only be able to get a visual image of the ship, it does say a lot about their tech base," Doctor Naco said as she walked onto the Bridge and nudged Marks out of his seat. Once seated in the Navigator's chair, she shifted through a few screens far too fast for anyone but Marks and Sam to follow her actions.

"How does that tell us anything?" Davidson asked as the short woman worked on the consul.

"The fact that they think a fighter hugging close to the bigger ship will hide it means that their own scanners wouldn't be able to pick up a 302 moving along the _Odyssey_'s hull. Not that we really need to send one out, but…" Sam began.

"Thank you, Colonel," Davidson said, holding up a hand to stop yet another too-long-explanation.

A second later, the fuzzy image coming from their sensors cut off entirely as the system rebooted. "What are you doing?" Marks asked as lines of programming ran across the screen.

"Fixing the sensors," Gabi replied. True to her word, when the sensors were done rebooting, a full five minute process, the resolution was flawless and the range had been increased back up to max.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

Rounding the last corner of _Galactica_'s hull, Starbuck came into view of the so-called '_Odyssey_' and tried to get a good look at the ship without being seen. Her simple plan was to use the _Galactica_'s large DRADIS signature to hide her viper's much smaller one. Activating her radio, Starbuck reported, _"_Galactica_ Actual, I'm in position and the camera is rolling."_

"What do you see?" Adama asked, before quickly switching back to his other conversation in an attempt to stall these 'Tau'ri.' "And how do I know that you didn't 'help us' to try to trick us into helping you do something that we'll come to regret later?" Adama asked.

"_What makes you think we'd do that? You have no idea who we are, and yet you won't take our word that we were helping you. Why is that?"_ Daniel asked. Then, after a brief pause, he added, _"We'll make you a deal. There are things we need and there are things you're sure to need. Whoever it is that attacked you, I can assure you that we can help you with them."_

"_She looks like a small ship with three major sections,"_ Starbuck reported, timing her response so that she spoke when 'Daniel' was finished speaking. _"There's the main section that makes up the width of the ship. There's a neck coming out of the main section that makes up most of the length. Then you have what look like two hanger bays, one on either side of the main section just like the Old Girl. I'd be willing to bet that they can only launch in combat situations though. They're too small to receive fighters coming in at high speeds. That, and they're closed at the back. Judging by the glow the thermal optics are picking up from that area, I'm willing to bet they have engines attached to the underside of the hangar bays that come out the back-end. Might explain their speed."_

"Copy that, Starbuck. What about weapons?" Adama asked before switching conversations again. "You asked, 'Why don't we trust you?' That would be due to the fact that, as you yourself have said, we don't know you and therefore have no reason to take your word for anything. As for your offer of help, if you're referring to that little show you put on during our last engagement, I'll say this; anything that you can do to them, you can do to us. Destroying two Baseships doesn't prove anything. Especially since your damned missiles would decimate our fleet."

"_I see your point. Regardless of whether or not you believe me, we do still need help. Now the only question I have left is, is there any place we can set down for repairs nearby, or can we tag along with your fleet for the benefit of both our crews?"_ Daniel asked.

Before Adama could reply, Starbuck came over the radio saying, _"It looks like they've got a lot of turrets for anti-fighter and missile-suppression. There are… sixteen missile tubes on the dorsal surface of the neck. I can't see where those long range weapons would be located at. All I can see looks to be short-range equipment."_

"Keep looking," Adama ordered then, turning to Tigh, he added, "How long until the fleet is ready to jump?"

"Fifteen minutes," Tigh replied.

"No. There is nowhere you can set down for repairs. All habitable planets within reasonable range of FTL have been destroyed. As for joining our fleet, that's not going to happen," Adama said over the radio, completely ignoring Tigh so as to not direct anger at his old friend.

"_Are you sure? How do planets get destroyed?"_ Daniel asked.

"_I don't see anywhere for those weird guns to have fired from and I've looked everywhere. I __**would**__ say that they were retracted into the hull, but I don't see any hatches or doors although there are several ventral hull emplacements that look like they could be used for planetary strikes,"_ Starbuck said.

"Is that all?" Adama asked.

"_Yeah, unless I get closer,"_ Starbuck replied.

"Do it. We don't trust them. We have no obligation to be polite," Adama said before adding, "Yes, I'm sure. Planets get destroyed when Cylons decide to nuke them from orbit," to his other conversation

"_What's a Cylon?"_ a female voice asked. The voice belonged to 'Vala' as evidenced by the, 'Quiet Vala,' from Doctor Jackson that quickly followed it.

"_Sir… it looks like there are windows on that ship!"_ Starbuck said in a voice that was mixed with excitement, and, as those who knew her could easily tell, a sadistic glee. _"And I do mean __**widows**__ not just holes in the amour!"_

Windows are a weakness, and now, if need be, they would pay for that weakness. "Alright, Starbuck, shoot some footage of the weapons systems then bring it in," Adama ordered.

"_Copy that, _Galactica_. Starbuck out."_

"Fleet status," Adama said turning to Tigh again.

"Still ten minutes left till we're ready to jump the fleet," he responded.

"So you think that playing ignorant will win us over?" Adama still refused to show anger at his crew for a situation that wasn't their fault.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Control Room)*

"Where is the _Odyssey_? That ship was due back days ago. I want to know where it is, and I want to know now!" General Landry all but shouted.

"Sir," Walter said, "the last thing we received from the _Odyssey_ indicated that they were under attack by the Ori. It's… possible they didn't survive."

"Yeah, but if the ship was destroyed the beacon would've activated. The Black Box would've started transmitting a distress call as soon as the shields failed, and then, once the ship was destroyed, it would've sent us a sub-space message with its location so we could keep anyone from getting the tech, and put the crew to rest," Bill, the head of the SGC's R&D department when Sam wasn't around, explained.

"Then find that ship!" Landry ordered. He was relieved to hear the ship was most likely still intact though his day wasn't going all too well so he retreated to his office as the Control Room filled with activity. Walking up the metal spiral staircase, through the Briefing Room, and into his office, he eased himself into his chair though it didn't provide the peace he was looking for.

He hadn't even sat down yet when a familiar voice spoke from the shadows. "Has there been any news regarding the missing team's whereabouts?"

"We diverted the _Odyssey_ to pick them up on their way to P3X-727. Colonel Davidson confirmed that they were safely extracted from the planet then proceeded to a site we believe to hold valuable technology for the fight against the Ori. There aren't any Gates in that area of the galaxy or I would've had them dropped off on the nearest suitable world with orders for them to return. Right now, all I can say is that they, along with the ship and her crew, are MIA," General Landry replied. "How did your own mission go?"

"We successfully fulfilled all of the assigned primary objects and nine of the ten secondary objectives. Regrettably, Ba'al had already deleted the local copy of Nirrti's data by the time we arrived. We are no closer to capturing the data used to create her super-soldiers now than we were before, but her lab has been destroyed and some of the information gained from studying the machinery there will allow us to recreate some of the data based on their functions. Lieutenant Sixo has already begun reverse engineering what he can."

"Then we can breathe easy knowing that there won't be any more freaks coming out of that lab."

"Unfortunately the data is still out there, as too is Subject Zero's self-proclaimed 'master.' If not Nirrti, than Anubis. If not Anubis than Ba'al. If not Ba'al, then one of his subordinates. The list of possible possessors is extensive, and we are running out of leads. Also, Jacqueline's condition is deteriorating daily and she is now away from her primary source of medical care."

"I know…" Landry began before the red phone on his desk rang.

"I will leave you to your business," the voice in the shadows said before preparing to depart the room.

"Colonel," Landry called after the silver-haired man who stood at the door, one hand in his pocket ready to push a button on his transmitter.

"General?" the man in question asked as he faced his superior officer, unnatural purple eyes meeting his own brown.

"Get your team geared up and ready to move on Ba'al's Death Glider production facility. I believe Colonel Jeffers will appreciate the diversion that will provide him with," Landry said as his hand poised over the red phone.

"It shall be done," the estranged Colonel said before exiting the room in a flash of white light.

Taking the time to sigh deeply and relax himself, Landry answered the phone in a falsely calm tone, "Hello?"

"_Hank! Good to see ya. Well, hear ya anyway. How's the search for the _Odyssey_ going?"_ The voice was clearly that of Jack O'Neill.

"Good morning, Jack," Hank said with a sigh of minor annoyance. It was **way** too early for him to have to deal with the younger General's antics. "Bill assures me that the ship is still in one piece."

"_Why the long voice? That actually sounded like good news."_

"Not really. That could mean that the ship and its crew are now in the hands of the Ori. That, or they're stranded in space and will eventually run out of supplies. Both scenarios are bad."

"_You don't have to be such a downer. While I do see your point, you need to have some faith, Hank. I know that you haven't known the gang for as long as I have, but come on! Everyone knows that Carter's onboard, which means that if the ship is damaged she'll fix it."_

"I'll have to take your word for it, Jack."

"_Just trust me. If that ship is damaged, Carter will fix it. Come on, Hank, she had a hand in designing all of the systems on the ship and she took care of the _Odyssey_ when the Lucian Alliance tried to steal it. Just chin up and have a little faith."_

"Alright, Jack, I know you care and all, but why did you really call?"

"_It's the Asgard. We received an 'urgent communiqué from the Asgard High Council' via subspace transmission a few hours ago. They sent it over that weird stone thing that they gave us the last time we were in Ida."_

"What do they need our help with now?"

"_That's just it. They don't. Thor says that __**they**__ want to help __**us**__ this time. We told him about the _Odyssey_ and he said he can have a ship in the Milky Way within the week."_

"That's great!" Landry exclaimed before adding, "Finally we get some good news from those guys," in a more annoyed tone.

"_Yeah, I know what you mean, but, as always, there's a catch."_

"I should've known. What is it this time? They want to run more experiments with our DNA?" Landry added referring to the rouge Asgard scientist, Loki, who had abducted and experimented on Jack a few years back.

Changing his tone to one of annoyance at that particular memory being brought up yet again, Jack said, _"Thor said that, once they find the _Odyssey_, they'll be taking her back to Ida. He won't say why, but he assured us that he needs the ship to finish his plan, and that nothing else will work. We told him to use the _Daedalus_, but he said it __**had**__ to be the _Odyssey_. You know how picky they are about which ship we let them borrow,"_ Jack ended in his usual sarcastic manner. Then he made a noise in his throat that told Landry he was shaking his head. _"That, and the _Daedalus_ is still stranded in Pegasus until they repair the damage to their systems caused by Sheppard's brilliant plan to pit the ZPM-enhanced shields of a Battlecruiser against the power of a star!"_

"The Asgard are probably looking to duplicate the _Odyssey_'s cloak. They never did figure out how to hide their ship from visual scans, although, with their jamming devices, I don't see why it would matter," Landry offered in tone that brought the conversation back to the seriousness of the situation. "That, or maybe they want to try and copy the ZPM? They're still the most powerful source of energy in the known universe."

"_I don't know. He sounded more serious than that. He mentioned something about 'the fate of the Asgard race hanging in the balance.' The real bone-chiller is that I think he means it this time."_

"I hope you're wrong about that, Jack. I'd hate see another of the Four Great Races vanish."

"_So would I, Hank. In fact, so would the President. He gave them permission to send the ship and agreed to their terms unconditionally."_ By the tone in his voice, Landry could tell that Jack was worried about his good friend Thor. The Asgard never used sarcasm, nor did they joke around. It was apparently a cultural trait.


	6. Backs Against the Wall

Chapter 5

Backs Against the Wall

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

Marks had been staring at his screen and pushing buttons all throughout the 'negotiations,' which were sounding more and more like Adama and Mitchell butting heads by the second with Daniel left sitting on the sidelines. Finally, nearly twenty minutes into the 'arguments,' as he had started calling them in his head, the calculations finally started to make sense.

Eyes widening as understanding dawned on him, Marks hit the button that opened a direct line to the earpiece Colonel Davidson never took out and said, "Sir, we've got a problem!"

Just as Marks was making his exclamation, Sam was finishing double checking their math. Hitting the ship-wide comms she said, "All hands prepare for battle." As Colonel Davidson ran back onto the Bridge from his hourly check on the repairs, she added, "Sir, long range sensors just detected an energy signature comparable to records of _Galactica_'s jumps into FTL."

"So they're leaving?" Davidson asked in a confused tone.

"No, sir," Sam replied as she pointed to the small group of blips moving closer to their location. "We never would've seen this coming if Gabi hadn't fixed the sensors…"

"The point, Colonel," Davidson interrupted.

"The Cylons are about to attack!"

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

The comms channel between the two ships was still open when two unnamed people started yelling over Mitchell's rant about… well, Adama didn't really understand what it was about. Something regarding what his 'Great Aunt Emma' used to say. No, Adama didn't understand that, but what he did understand was that these people believed the Cylons were about to attack, and that threat, real or fake, was something he'd take seriously no matter how many times these people cried 'Toaster.'

As Adama turned to order a scan of the area, Dualla, back to manning the DRADIS station, confirmed his suspicions by announcing, "DRADIS contacts! Five Cylon Baseships bearing down off the port side of the fleet."

"Commander, we haven't finished the fleet's jump calculations yet. They've caught us with our pants down!" Gaeta added.

At that moment another officer shouted, "Incoming missiles. Frak! Two of the Baseships are swarming us with nukes!"

"Target the…" Adama started before being interrupted by the same officer.

"Third, fourth, and fifth contacts are targeting civilian ships. Nukes mixed with standard ordnance."

"Gods help us," Saul gave a whispered prayer.

Adama's mood instantly switched from hostile negotiations to hostile live-fire combat. "Target the missiles headed toward the fleet, launch the Vipers, and evacuate all the outer sections of _Galactica_. We're about to take a beating!" Turning to Tigh he added, "I want the fleet's jump coordinates **now**!"

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"Sir, the Cylons are firing nukes at the civilian ships in the Colonial Fleet," Marks reported form his station.

"Colonel," Sam said in an informative tone, "those ships won't survive so much as a glancing hit from one of those nukes, regardless of how low the yield is. Even if, by some miracle, they survive the initial impact, their armor won't protect them from the EM pulse or the radiation. One missile detonating close to those ships and the entire crew dies. If this really is the last of their people…" Sam trailed off as they all heard Commander Adama's orders to his crew. The situation sounded grim.

"Shields up, press the attack!" Mitchell ordered.

With a look on his face that said, 'This is **my** ship' Davidson switched out those orders for his own. "Then we follow the Commander's lead. Target the missiles headed toward the civilian fleet first, _Galactica_ second, and let the shields handle what the guns can't." The tone of finality left no room for argument. Not that anyone **would** argue with the man. Davidson had earned their respect even if he was a replacement for the deceased Colonel Emerson.

"What about the nukes? Can we beam them into the enemy vessels?" Vala asked.

"I don't see why not," Marks replied.

"Yeah, but the problem there is that we don't want to waste all of our nukes. If the Ori find us and we don't have any left… well, an already desperate situation gets a hell of a lot worse," Sam countered.

"This mission just keeps getting better and better," Davidson responded with an exasperated roll of his shoulders. "Prep the guns for a sustained, rapid-fire sequence. We'll think of a plan between now and our eventual destruction."

"Hopefully one that avoids the 'destruction' part. I really don't want to die in space," Cam added with a shudder. "Too damn cold."

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Missiles will enter firing range in ten, ni… hold on," Gaeta reported, the tone in his voice showing his obvious bewilderment.

"What's going on, Lieutenant?" Adama asked.

His answer came from Dualla. "Sir, the _Odyssey_ has engaged the enemy and is intercepting the first wave of missiles… on their own."

"Where the frak are they?" Tigh demanded in an outraged tone.

With a look of pure confusion, Dualla replied, "They haven't moved yet, sir. They're still sitting right beside us."

Starbuck's awed voiced broke the silence over the radio as her Viper group flew past the far smaller ship. _"Frak me! Those guns are firing from the turrets I saw earlier. It's not a special cannon, it's their main weapon!"_

"_Frak we need some of those guns!"_ another of the pilots said in an identical tone as the last of the first wave of missiles disappeared off of the DRADIS screens. The second wave quickly launching from the Baseships as their Raiders closed with the Colonial Fleet and added their own missiles to the mix cut the celebration understandably short.

The already outrageous number of missiles filling the space between the two fleets was multiplied by hundreds of Raiders adding dozens of missiles to the mix a piece, yet the _Odyssey_'s guns continued to fire a steady stream of orange light that cut through the masses with disturbing ease. Everyone in the CIC was shocked into silence until Gaeta said, "The _Odyssey_ missed part of the second wave. Missiles are now headed towards both the civvies and _Galactica_. Entering firing range in five…"

"I guess we can't just expect people to handle our problems for us, huh?" Saul asked, more to himself than to anyone else in particular.

"Four…"

"Target the missiles that are heading towards the civilian ships, we can take it, they can't," Adama reiterated in a solemn tone.

"Three…"

"Are the outer sections clear?"

"Two…"

"Yes, sir," Dee replied.

"One…"

"For the Fleet."

"So say we all!" the CIC crew agreed in unison.

Outside of the giant warship, the guns lining the length of the ship's dorsal structure swiveled and turned, tracking their targets until they had a lock on the fast moving missiles and Cylon Raiders. Then they fired. Space around _Galactica_ was filled with silent bangs as the guns recoiled from the force of firing their munitions at the enemy. When the explosive-propelled projectile reached the end of its range, it exploded into a cloud of short-lived heat, concussive energy, and shrapnel.

One such round fired flew through space before detonating its payload. The concussive force washed over a missile, the metal frame crumpling under the impact and its internal system giving out as it did. The now dead missile then tumbled through space, undetonated, but no longer lethal. The shrapnel from this round also played a lethal roll as a large chunk of its metal casing, accelerated by its detonation, flipped end-over-end until it pierced the roving red eye of a Cylon Raider and embedded itself in the machine's brain. The fighter veered off course and drifted aimlessly through space just as dead as the missile the round had also claimed.

Time and again this same act was repeated to varying degrees of success. Some rounds claimed more missiles and fewer Raiders. Some claimed multiple Raiders but no missiles. Some missed their targets altogether. Time and time again the _Galactica_ would fire shot after shot in a seemingly endless pattern and yet more and more Raiders and missiles kept coming. By the end of the fourth wave nobody could keep up with the kill count, the number was simply too large. Their only saving grace at the moment was the advantage the _Odyssey_'s range and extra guns were giving them, though the small ship seemed to be incapable of hitting the rapidly moving, highly maneuverable Raiders. That left the _Odyssey_ targeting the missiles, the Vipers handling the Raiders, and _Galactica_ picking up everyone else's slack, all without any order being given.

Davidson never commented on the Raiders' maneuverability. Adama never ordered the Vipers to engage the fighters. Nobody told the gunners what to target. Everything just fit together like a well-oiled machine. The tides had turned and now it was the Cylons who were stuck in a meat grinder. That thought brought a smile to Saul's withered old face, but it didn't last long. He still didn't trust these people and he wasn't going to let this trap claim them. The Cylons planted that ship in their fleet, he was sure of it. This was just a show to gain their trust, and he wasn't buying it.

_Galactica_ continued to fire. Despite the fact that her teeth were getting dull and her meat was only getting tougher to chew, the Old Girl handled her task well, but not well enough. Seven waves into the bombardment, the one thing nobody wanted to hear was shouted over the clamor of their efforts to defend the fleet from such a heavy Cylon presence. After all, a _Mercury_-class Battlestar is only worth **three** Cylon Baseships and they were staring down the barrels of **five**.

"BRACE FOR NUCLEAR IMPACT!" Gaeta shouted just before a nuke detonated on the Port side of the Old Girl. The floor shook under their feet and the lights flickered and dimmed before regaining their full glow. "Fire in Section Fourteen."

"Damage control teams to action stations. Seal off the affected area and vent the atmosphere in the unoccupied rooms," Tigh ordered, fulfilling his duties as XO so that Adama could focus on the task of fighting the battle.

In a voice of mild concern, Dualla shouted over the noise, "Sir, the _Odyssey_ has moved into the combat zone and is launching fighters. What are our orders?"

Adama was so caught up in the calculations of the fleet's jump and the endless waves of missiles that he didn't register her words. Tigh, on the other hand, did. "Keep an eye on them! This could all just be a trap."

Another pair missile impacted _Galactica_'s hull, but the Old Girl shrugged off the minor blasts generated by the conventional missiles with ease and kept firing. Nukes might rattle her old bones, but missiles were just drops of water on an umbrella to such a thick-hided predator. Even with her armor being as outdated as it was, the Old Girl was a tough nut to crack, and the Cylons didn't bring a big enough nutcracker to get through her shell.

Wave eight began with significantly fewer missiles coming from Raiders as there were significantly fewer Raiders to fire missiles. However, they were far closer to the fleet now, and a few had even made it through the Viper screen. They were being chased down, but already three of them had unleashed a hailstorm of bullets into a passenger liner and pierced the hull in over a dozen different places. If they joined in on the missile swarm at this range…

"Frak! A missile made it through. Nuclear ordinance impacting _Colonial One_ in ten…"

"Intercept it," Saul ordered.

"Nine…"

"If we do we're dead," Gaeta countered.

"Eight…"

"They're targeting our engines."

"Seven…"

"If we divert weapons fire to take out that missile…

"Six…"

"We take **seven** to our Tylium reserves."

"Five…"

"May the Gods see fit to have mercy on their souls," Tigh swore.

"Four…"

*****_**USS Odyssey**_** (Bridge) [a few moments earlier]***

"Marks, take us forward and launch the fighters. We're in this fight to win it so let's get it done," Davidson ordered.

"Aye, sir," Marks replied before easing the accelerator forward and taking the _Odyssey_ closer to her prey. They didn't need the reduced range for targeting thanks to their sensors, but the sooner their bullets hit their targets the further away from the Colonial Fleet the danger was.

"That one's going to make it through," Gabi observed in a tone of finality.

"What do you mean?" Mitchell asked before a nuclear warhead detonated against _Galactica_'s hull. When the light cleared, Mitchell had to admit that he was impressed by the minimal damage the nuclear strike had caused.

"That," the short woman replied. "Those ones will too," she added with a nod toward two missiles on the screen that were clearly going to make it past the flak field surrounding the massive Battlestar. It was then that Mitchell saw what she did. The turrets in that area swiveled to intercept missiles that were going to make it past _Galactica_ and, in doing so, opened up the ship itself for an attack. Both missiles impacted _Galactica_'s hull and three of the turrets were taken offline by the damage, but, again, the hull held. "The Cylons know the Commander's mentality. They're purposefully targeting the civilian fleet just to open up a hole in _Galactica_'s flak field. Smart. Very smart. Disturbingly so. Makes me wonder what the Cylons are."

"You scare me sometimes, you know that right?" Sam asked in a distracted manner as she continued working in the chair next to Marks'.

Sam had taken over the Tactical Officer's duties if only because the officer's systems had to be recalibrated after the sensors reboot and Sam knew how to recalibrate the system while accurately firing the guns at the same time and the man in question didn't. It wasn't a question of competence, it was a matter of programmer versus operator and the programmer was always more qualified than the operator.

"Take this setup for example," Gabi continued as she pointed to a cluster of missiles headed for _Galactica_ and a single missiles headed for the fleet. "That cluster will strike _Galactica_ when these turrets divert fire to shoot down the nuclear missile headed for that civilian ship. Because of how they placed it, the turrets there will **have** to move, and, in doing so, leave a large portion of the ship's engine couplings unprotected. If _Galactica_ intercepts that missile, they risk everything from losing their engines to being blown up depending on how bad the damage is, and, because of where the nuke is, we can't shoot it down for them without hitting the same ship we would be trying to save," Gabi said as she pointed to a small passenger liner that was slowly falling back with the rest of the Colonial Fleet. The Cylons' push was steadily overtaking the civilians and that ship's engines weren't fast enough to keep them behind friendly lines.

"Sir, what are our orders?" Marks asked with a look at his superior officer.

With a determined nod, Davidson replied, "I've already given you your orders, Major. Let the shields handle what the guns can't."

With a nod of acknowledgement, Marks grabbed the accelerator and threw it forward. Until now the _Odyssey_ had been coasting along under the power of her two primary sub-light engines at roughly ten percent of her maximum sub-light speed. When Marks punched the accelerator, the other eight engines flared to life and sent the ship hurtling towards the missile at eighty percent max speed. The acceleration, without proper dampening, was enough to knock Daniel off his feet. Mitchell and most of the other crew members, being former fighter pilots or used to this type of thing, took a single, stumbling step then regained their balance.

An outside observer would've seen nothing more than a missile headed right for the engine coupling of a sizeable spacecraft only for the missile to be intercepted by a rapidly moving blur of motion. The _Odyssey_'s vector brought it around the massive Battlestar, her guns firing the whole time, through the side of the fleet where they gunned down a pair of Raiders being chased by a trio of Vipers that couldn't catch their prey, squeezing between two ships with barely an inch of clearance between the other ships and their shield bubble, through a tight turn to avoid hitting another ship, up a strangely empty corridor that took them the full length up the center of the civilian fleet which was slowly falling back more and more with the _Galactica_ following in its wake, and, weaving between a cluster of five civilian ships that were firing anti-fighter missiles at a Raider swarm, to crash head-on into a nuclear missile.

Because the battle took place in space, the fire and mushroom cloud couldn't actually form. As a result, the explosion was nothing more than a blindingly bright flash of white light so bright that the _Odyssey_'s viewports automatically polarized to protect the crew's eyes, coupled with the release of a high level of radiation, and, of course, a powerful concussive shockwave that was absorbed, for the most part, by the advanced shield protecting the small Earth vessel. From this flash of light and EM energy came the _Odyssey_, shields shimmering as the last testament to the deadly explosion that hadn't claimed the ship, though the small portion of the shockwave that her shields hadn't absorb did manage to shatter one of the windows on the ship they had just saved from utter destruction.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Bill…" Saul began before Gaeta interrupted him.

"The missile was intercepted… **by** the _Odyssey_?" Gaeta reported with a look of puzzlement clear on his face.

"What do you mean 'by' the _Odyssey_?" Saul asked.

"I mean they **rammed** the missile. They took the hit and came out untouched," Gaeta responded, his reply making several of the CIC crew question his sanity. There was no way a ship that small could take a direct hit from a nuclear weapon and be 'untouched.' Maybe they were all more tired than they thought.

"Keep targeting those missiles, maybe we'll get lucky and these frakking Toasters will run out," Adama ordered after a moment of thought.

"We're being hailed," Dualla reported.

"Put them through," Adama replied gruffly.

"_Commander, I don't know about you, but we don't have the ordinance to destroy all of these ships. I suggest you pull your fleet out,"_ Adama was half-surprised to hear Davidson's voice come over the radio. He was actually expecting the Cylons to demand their surrender.

"Believe me, Colonel, I'd love to, but we don't have the course set yet. We need to hold them off for five more minutes," Adama replied in his normal commander's tone.

"_Well, at least they're still talking to us,"_ Daniel muttered under his breath, the man's words barely being picked up by the smaller ship's microphone.

"_Five minutes can be a long time, Commander…"_ Davidson started to say.

He was cut off when one of the voices from earlier said, _"Sir, I've got it! The outer lair of their armor can withstand a direct nuclear impact, but the insides can't. I know that we can't…" _at this point she muttered something under her breath before speaking loud enough to be heard by all, _"but, if we focus the railguns on one point and blow a hole in the armor big enough to squeeze a missile through the gap…"_

"It'll tear them apart from the inside-out no matter how good their armor is. The only problem is there are five ships and we don't have enough nukes to kill them all," Adama finished for her. Why Adama believed this could be done could be summed up quite easily; he needed it to work.

"_Sir, scans indicate that the insides of the Cylon ships are composed of cybernetically enhanced organic polymers. If they're anything like the Wraith, and I'm willing to bet that they are, the inside will be weak enough for multiple conventional missiles, or a well-placed shot from a kinetic round to do the trick,"_ Marks informed them.

*****_**Colonial One**_** (Waiting Room) [a few moments earlier]***

Gaius Baltar looked out of one of _Colonial One_'s many view ports and onto the battle raging outside. He watched with fear as the _Odyssey_ intercepted a missile right before it impacted his ship and heard the final scream of a woman being sucked into space before something clogged the hole shut behind her. As the flash cleared and revealed the results of the kamikaze run, what Baltar saw amazed him. The _Odyssey_ emerged from the nuclear cloud covered in a shimmering glow. It was like an angle descending from heaven, a Phoenix being reborn from its ashes. Without so much as a scorch mark on her black armor, the small vessel shot forward at an incredible speed as it raced back into the fray.

A few moments later, he watched as the strange orange bullets the _Odyssey_ fired, turned towards one of the Baseships, the _Galactica_ keeping up the pressure on the Raiders and remaining missiles of the thirteenth wave. The _Odyssey_'s weapons' fire was like thin orange beams of light connecting the ship to its target. Less than a minute later, when the guns had had ample time to borrow a hull through the Baseship's armor, a missile volley was sent roaring through space from the launch tubes on the _Odyssey_'s neck while the small ship's fighters formed up around the missiles as an escort party. Soon after the launch, their plan became clear. Even with a few of the missiles being intercepted by Raiders, the lack of anti-missile defenses on the Cylon Baseships allowed the missile volley to fly directly into the hole that had been blown into the armor by the strange weapons of the strange ship.

In a series of explosions, both intentional and secondary, the Baseship was torn apart. The best part of the plan was that the hull of the Cylon ships worked against them. Most of the explosive energy was contained by the Baseship that was hit so that the explosion built up pressure until it blew the Baseship apart in a rather spectacular show of force, one that, however lightly, damaged the Baseship beside it. After the _Odyssey_ finished putting holes in the Baseships, she circled around, took up position beside the _Galactica_, and took to destroying the Raiders as best she could while _Galactica_ finished off the Baseships with missile swarms of her own, the Battlestar having far more missile launchers so as to strike the whole formation at once, and fighters escorting the missiles past the Raiders.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

After _Galactica_'s last volley disappeared into the bowls of the final Baseship, Tigh said, "We have the coordinates for the jump."

"Your timing couldn't be more perfect. Begin jumping the fleet," Adama ordered.

"What about them? I can't believe I'm saying this, but they could prove useful," Saul reluctantly admitted.

"We need to get the fleet out of here. We will deal with them afterwards. Now, jump the fleet," Adama ordered again.

"With pleasure. Jump the fleet!" Tigh ordered in a booming voice. As the order and coordinates were transmitted, the ships in the civilian fleet started jumping.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"Colonel Davidson, the Colonial ships are leaving," Marks reported.

"Once again without a thank you," Mitchell added with a huff.

"We're being hailed by _Galactica_," Marks added, giving Mitchell a taunting look.

"_Colonel Davidson, it will take us approximately five minutes to recollect all of our fighters. You have the same amount of time to recollect yours as well as assemble a team of delegates. You want to talk? Here's your chance." _Adama spoke once the channel was open, not even waiting to exchange post battle congratulations.


	7. Man to Man

Chapter 6

Man to Man

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Debriefing Room)*

"I don't know, how about you?" Daniel asked.

"What about the blonde guy from the Bridge?" Cameron asked.

"Marcus?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah, him," Cam replied.

"Good idea, he's already familiar with their language so that's a plus," Daniel agreed.

"Well, since I don't really need her for the repairs and I really, **really** want to see their FTL drives, I want to send Doctor Naco. She's the brightest mind on the ship that I can do without," Sam added.

"She's also a drop-dead gorgeous woman with a smile that'll make your… heart stop," Cameron said with an awkward look that implied he had almost said something else entirely. "Are you sure you want to send her over there?"

"She can handle herself, trust me," Sam replied with a small smile at a memory that none of the others were privy to. The _Odyssey_ shook under them as they dropped out of hyperspace and Sam looked down at her tablet to check the dampeners, the ship's internal wireless network allowing her instant access to the diagnostic systems even while on the move. "And we're stuck for another half hour."

"At least the Colonials take about the same amount of time to calculate their jumps," Daniel said with a shrug. "Makes it to where they're not really waiting on us all the time."

"Hey, here's an idea," Vala began.

"Here we go again," Cam said with a roll of his eyes.

"Why don't I go over there and have a look around?" Vala asked.

"And why on God's good Earth would we let you do that?" Cam countered.

"What? I can be civil!" Vala argued.

"Civil?" Daniel asked indignantly. "Aren't you the one who made her first big move with Earth and the SGC the theft of the _Prometheus_, and her second big move strapping a killer alien device to my wrist?"

"Well," Vala said defensively, "that ship **was** rather pathetic and it's not like I really hurt anyone."

"You tortured me!" Daniel exclaimed.

"And then healed you immediately after," Vala argued.

"You tortured me!" Daniel said again.

"Candidates?" Colonel Davidson asked as he walked into the room.

"A few names come to mind," Daniel replied. "Marcus Howard and Gabi Naco being the first two."

"Neither of them are known to me," Davidson said.

"Doctor Naco's been with the Stargate Program for the past nine years," Sam began.

"Rumor has it that she dropped off the grid two years ago," Davidson more stated than asked.

"The details are classified," Sam said awkwardly before adding a heavily stressed, "**HEAVILY**," when Davidson seemed unimpressed by the word.

"Sam, we work for the most classified agency on Earth. Nothing is classified to us," Cam argued.

"Actually, there are a lot of things classified to us," Daniel countered. "We still don't have access to KGB records, the ASIS database, or several other intelligence agencies around the world."

"So which one does she work for? The CIA?" Vala asked. Daniel gave her a look at that before Vala added, "What? I know what your Civilian Intelligence Agency is."

"It's the **Central** Intelligence Agency," Daniel corrected her.

Sam let out a world-weary sigh before answering the original question. "She was reassigned from Stargate R&D to an advanced, deep cover team that was sent past the redline so far into Goa'uld territory that it was guaranteed that they'd be found, the only question was how long that would take. Their mission was to gather everything they could in that time and get out with their lives and findings intact. Her work in the field is the only reason we're as close to getting our plasma cannon designs operational as we are. Beyond that, her actions are classified beyond even my clearance. You'd have to talk to General Landry to get the specifics."

"And we picked her up with the rest of that group from that Lucian Alliance world?" Davidson asked.

"Yes, she was assigned to that team in an effort to find out what the Alliance is up to."

"And she fixed the sensors?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then why are we getting rid of her with the _Odyssey_ in the state she's in?"

"Weapons, sensors, shields, alloys… her areas of expertise are in areas that are fully operational. She's done all she can here and it would be… wise to send a tech expert over to _Galactica_. She might find something that could help either one crew or the other."

Davidson nodded his agreement then turned to Daniel. "And Professor Howard?"

"I don't know him on a personal level, but I know his work. He's actually the one who cracked the Colonial language in terms of getting the translation software up and running. He's as good as I am, if not better," Daniel replied.

"And his etiquette?"

A look of uncertainty crossed Daniel's face before he answered that question. "He's also one of the people we picked up on the Lucian Alliance world. I don't know what that means or what role he played for the team given that the Alliance speaks English, but I do know that General Landry wouldn't have sent him if he couldn't handle himself in a fight. As to his mannerism… I don't know the man well enough to say. You could ask his CO," Daniel finished with a shrug.

Davidson let a noise of disapproval escape his throat before speaking. "You mean the Colonel from the Italian Special Forces whose actions I have no record of after his recruitment? He's a highly decorated officer with no justification for his decoration other than his taste in friends. Quite frankly I'm more likely to throw him out of an airlock than I am to trust him. The Doctor and the Professor have you to vouch for them, but I have no one here willing to vouch for **him** and our long range communications are still down so the Prime Minister can't give us some bullshit reason as to why he's so great."

"I… know him by reputation," Sam began somewhat awkwardly. "He was brought into the SGC four years ago, right before General O'Neill stepped down. Jack's actually the one who brought him in, and no, I don't know his reasons. What I do know is that they were both training him in Gate travel and testing his skills. He was assigned to SG-5 for six months then sent to Pegasus and attached to SGA-2 for the same amount of time. Over the course of his year-long evaluation, the Colonel proved himself to General Landry in some way that only they know, and was assigned to a subdivision of the SGC based out of the Zeta Site. In fact, he runs the entire subdivision with Landry being his **only** direct superior."

"The Zeta Site?" Davidson asked.

"Landry's appointment to head of the SGC was not… accidental. The more classified parts of Landry's service record aren't known to many people, but… Jack told me a few things because he wanted someone in the SGC he could trust keeping an eye on things. What do you know about Landry?" Sam asked.

"He was born on October sixth, nineteen-forty-five in Sacramento, California. He was a Captain during the Vietnam War. He flew a UH-1 Iroquois helicopter for the Eighty-second Airborne Division and also an F-4. He transported troops and supplies during combat operations and played a part in daring rescue missions. He was shot down near the border of Laos, well north of the DMZ, spending over 8 days in the jungle hunted by the North Vietnamese army. Following the Vietnam War, Landry was promoted to Major and later took part in tough operations in Grenada, Kosovo, and the Gulf War," Cam rattled off as if reading directly from a report.

"That's the official story," Sam said with a nod, "but not the truth. I know it's hard to believe, but Landry wasn't a member of the Air Force **until** his appointment as head of the SGC. Before then, he was a SEAL."

"You're shitting me?" Cam countered disbelievingly.

"Look, I'm not supposed to say this at all, but it ties together. Landry is black ops through and through. When he wasn't in the field, he was pulling the strings from the shadows. He's done stuff that makes SG-1 look like a sideshow by comparison. Landry is a good man, don't get me wrong, but we've all been lied to from the word 'go' because of **why** they brought Landry in. Have you ever heard of the Zeta Initiative?"

"I assume it deals with the Zeta Site?" Davidson asked.

"Yes, it's their base of operations," Sam answered.

"I thought the Zeta Site was just a rumor," Daniel said.

"That's what you're supposed to think, but… I've been there," Sam replied somewhat awkwardly. "Really late one night, I was blindfolded and shoved through the Gate so I couldn't see the address. On the other end, I met Colonel Viride. I helped Gabi set up the computers they were using then was tasked with planting a virus in the DHD on the Zeta Site to keep their Gate from ever being used to dial Earth, and made incoming wormholes impossible to connect without a special code sent through that prevented the Gate from connecting. If they were ever discovered, they would have to go anywhere **but** Earth. That way, whoever was chasing them would never know they were from Earth. I have no idea where the Zeta Site is, but my best guess puts it in Goa'uld territory on the inner edge of the Redline. It's just a guess, but it's a solid one considering what I **did** see.

"The mandate, as I understood it, was threefold. First, find any and all advanced alien technology and acquire it at any cost. There was a lab world that Ba'al had set up a few years ago that we were practically **dying** to raid, but Hammond wouldn't let us because Ba'al would most likely invade Earth if we did. A few months after I finished locking that Gate out of the network, the lab was hit by some third party alien race. A few days after that? The very technology we were almost desperate to get ahold of starts circulating through the SGC's labs. When I asked Landry about it, all he had to say was that we traded beaming tech for access to the data crystal the unheard of aliens stole. That pattern then started to repeat itself.

"We'd find one of Nirrti's old labs, one of Ba'al's active labs, or one of Anubis' labs and the tech would show up a few days later with the only explanation being that we traded something with some alien race for the information. Once or twice? Sure, why not. But somewhere around twenty?" Sam shook her head. "We were being lied to, I knew it, and Landry knew that I knew it. After that, all of our mysterious acquisitions started coming from a single source. An alien calling itself the Mimner. It wasn't small trades either. We gave them our shield designs for a half-cooked coaxial kinetic energy weapon design that required the use of some weird element to operate properly. We still haven't been able to crack those plans, and they got our Asgard shields from the trade!

"The second mandate is to frame other species for acts of aggression against galactic powers. Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance were never on friendly terms, but they weren't in a state of total war until one of Ba'al's Ha'tak was stolen from his dry-docks then rammed into an Alliance world. Shortly thereafter, an Alliance Al'kesh, once again stolen, was used to bomb Erebus. The war between the Lucian Alliance and Ba'al is a setup being fueled by acts of aggression from unknown sources that are then blamed on one party or another. Someone is hell-bent on keeping Ba'al and the Alliance fighting each other, and, in doing so, have kept both parties from attacking Earth directly. Tell me that doesn't strictly benefit us and isn't even the least bit suspicious considering Landry has a secret army hidden in Ba'al's territory!

"The third mandate, if I understood correctly, was to infiltrate our allies and make sure they're not looking to stab us in the back. Landry has agents in the Free Jaffa Nation reporting to him on a regular basis, and they're all, as far as I can tell, plants not traitors. They've also managed to infiltrate the Tok'ra and a few other of our more minor allies."

"Sam," Cameron said gently, "you sound like a conspiracy theorist."

"My point in all this is that Landry is a former Navy SEAL turned into a black ops General with a secret facility set up in Goa'uld territory, Colonel Viride's records are so heavily classified I can't even hack into the damned things, the Zeta Site is so closely guarded a secret that most people think it's a rumor, and did anyone else noticed the gear that the Colonel's team was wearing? Full-body armor isn't something that the SGC has access to."

"Well," Daniel said skeptically. "Landry trusts him."

"Landry does tend to have good judgment," Cam agreed.

"Yeah," Vala added enthusiastically. "He gave me a shot." When Daniel and Cameron both gave her a look, she said, "What? I've been helpful haven't I?"

"You can't argue with that," Daniel agreed with a shrug. "She did single-handedly stop the first Ori invasion of the Milky Way."

"Are you seriously ignoring me?" Sam asked indignantly. "I'm not crazy, I just happen to know more than you do."

"And who told you all this?" Davidson asked, his tone one that indicated he would believe her… if she could prove it.

"Jack," Sam replied. "Before Landry's first official day on the job, Jack told me his history, ask me to keep an eye on him, then I get taken to an unknown planet in the middle of the night and told to program a Gate to be unreachable? I pieced the rest together based off of those two events."

"You're remarkably close to having it right," a voice said from the entrance to the Debriefing Room. "You've missed a couple of key points, but don't feel too bad about that. You figured out more than most people ever have."

"And you are?" Cameron asked.

"Major Tomus Higgins, Zeta-1," the large man replied from his place leaning against the frame of the door. "Truth be told, Colonel, all you have to do is ask," the man said before pushing off of the door and walking away. When Davidson called after him, there was only a lazy, "Oliver's in the med lab," before no other sounds came.

A glance down the hall the man had just been in, the long hallway that had no turns or doors in it, showed only empty metal. "Did that really just happen, or did I imagine the whole thing?" Daniel asked from his place looking down the hall.

"Why is he in the med bay?" Sam asked no one in particular.

"Well, they did bring an Alliance soldier with them when we beamed them up," Cam suggested.

"How did Paul ever deal with this madness?" Davidson asked with a shake of his head.

"You're still relatively new to the program," Cameron replied respectfully. "You'd be surprised at how… normal that whole conversation was compared to the time Daniel was a Prior."

"I was there for that," Davidson countered.

"Yeah, but you didn't know us then so the strangeness was lost on you, trust me," Cam insisted. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it.

"I'll look forward to that day," Davidson said sarcastically. "Anyone else you want to send over to _Galactica_?"

"I want to go," Daniel said. "I've already opened a dialog with Commander Adama. Even if it's just for the introductions, I want to be there."

"Agreed. That gives us a cultural expert and a scientist. We should send a real negotiator and a few guards as well," Davidson added.

"I'm sure that Maria's up to the task," Daniel agreed with a nod of approval. "That is why she's here, after all."

It had, after it became more and more common for Tau'ri vessels to be deployed into unknown regions, become standard operating procedure for the ship to carry around a small team of delegates in case a First Contact situation ever arose. The _Odyssey_'s primary delegate was a very motherly woman by the name of Maria Suefentes.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Commander's Office)*

"Commander," Laura Roslin said as she walked into the man's office.

"Madam President," Bill replied as he stood to shake her hand.

"I just wanted to thank you for your hard work keeping us all alive. I know that the past week has been hard on us all, but more so for you and your crew. I hear the _Galactica_ was hit during the fighting?"

"We took a nuke and a few conventional missiles. The nuke tore off a section of our plating and left a gap in the armor. We're working on repairing the rift or at least reinforcing it, but we're running low on raw materials. We have a mining ship in the fleet. All we need now is to find a planet to mine," Bill replied solemnly.

"You will, Commander, I have faith in you," Laura assured him with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Madam President," Bill said. "I assume you want to be filled-in on our current situation?"

"Yes, but I'm concerned about the fleet more than I am the newcomers. They've proven themselves worthy of some small measure of trust. If nothing else, let us put this new matter aside until we finish discussing the current one. I understand that _Galactica_ is our guardian angel and that her crew is stressed to the point of breaking. Grim news is never good under the best of circumstances, and ours is far from that. With the damage suffered by the two cargo ships that were attacked by Raiders, we lost over three months' worth of food and one of the passenger liners was also hit."

"What's the death toll?" Bill asked grimly.

"Just under fifty," Laura replied with a frown. "We're going to hold a memorial for the dead as soon as all of the names are gathered. It's the least we can do."

"Good, they deserve to be remembered."

"I understand that some of your pilots are blaming theirselves for what happened, for not being fast enough. Don't let them beat theirselves up. We were outnumbered and I'm honestly surprised we didn't suffer more losses."

"We would've if the _Odyssey_ hadn't been around to help."

"Which brings us to the next topic. What do you know?"

"If they **are** Cylons, they're either willing to kill a very large number of their brethren to prove otherwise, or those ships were empty and on autopilot. If they **aren't** Cylons, then… I don't know who they are."

"This is farfetched, even by my standards, but… what if they're from the Thirteenth Tribe? This could be more than just a chance meeting, Commander. This could be the will of the Gods."

"I never was a religious man," Bill replied as he stood from his desk and walked over to his liquor cabinet. "I didn't like how it blinded people to logic and reasoning." Pulling out two glasses and a bottle of scotch, he returned to sit opposite Laura. "I don't see you as the type to be blinded by faith." The Commander stopped to pour them both a drink before finishing his statement. "I want to see this your way, really I do, but I can't take that risk. They stay on our watch list until we're sure they're not Cylons."

"I can respect that," Laura said as she eyed her glass.

"You don't like scotch?" Bill asked.

"I don't hold liquor very well regardless of which one it is," Laura replied.

"I can respect that," Bill echoed her as he downed his glass.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Infirmary)*

Colonel Davidson walked into the med bay and immediately noticed the two heavily armed soldiers standing guard of the bed that was occupied by a very angry man that was chained down, yet still struggling against his bonds. The man whom the Colonel had come to see, the other full-bird Colonel on his ship, stood over the man with a needle in his hand. He injected the yellow liquid into the man's arm then waited. A few seconds later the man grew still, but was still obviously conscious.

"What did you do to me!" the man shouted in outrage.

"Venom from a Viper-Bat," the Colonel explained as he first cleaned then stored the needle away in a case with vials of different colored fluids in it. "It paralyzes ninety percent of the muscles in the Human body, but we altered it so that it doesn't affect the heart, diaphragm, or anything involved in vocalization."

"I'm not telling you anything," the man snarled at the Colonel.

"So you say," the Colonel replied coldly. He finished packing his case away and handed it to one of his men before addressing his captive. "The planet we captured you on, what was its purpose?"

"Go fuck yourself," the man spat.

"Okay then," the Colonel said as he motioned for another person to join him by the bed. "I need him responsive and truthful," he said to the woman with a head of scarlet hair standing next to him. The woman swung her legs up onto the bed and crawled over the captive's own before kneeling over him with her legs on either side of his body. "The following is a new form of attempting to gain someone's compliance," the Colonel said as the woman hung her head over the man's face and whispered something into his ear. "On Earth, we call it hypnotism."

The woman sat up, back straight, and snapped her fingers twice, once over each of the man's eyes. She was close enough that she touched his eyelashes, but not the eye itself. She then placed one hand flat against his chest and the other over his forehead. She spoke more words that Davidson couldn't make out then moved her hands, and began pressing her fingers into parts of the man's body in quick, jabbing motions that were hard to follow.

She clasped his shoulder and pressed her thumb into the nerve cluster just below the collar bone. She pressed three fingers into the nerves on the side of his ribcage, jabbed an oddly shaped fist into his armpit, poked at his solar plexus, and several other places. In a matter of seconds she was done and the man had a glazed look in his eyes.

"Now, I'm going to confirm a few things I know to be facts," the Colonel said and the woman removed a small bell from her pocket and chimed it once, the noise resonating and lingering in the room far longer than it should've. "Raise your right hand if you recognize any of the following statements to be true. If they are false, raise your left hand. The planet we obtained you on was a lab world."

The man raised his right hand a few inches off of the mattress before his bonds stopped him and he let it fall again. "Good," the Colonel said as he pulled out a tablet and began reading off questions and noting the answers to them.

"You have black hair," he asked and the man raised his left hand. "You have green eyes."

Right hand.

"You have brown hair."

Right hand.

"You are a member of the Lucian Alliance."

Right hand.

"You were a soldier."

Left hand.

"You were a researcher."

Right hand.

"Answer the following questions as truthfully as you can," the Colonel ordered and the woman chimed the bell twice more. "What was your job?"

"I was assigned to a team researching a deep-space satellite found drifting in the void between systems."

"What satellite?"

"The one they brought us and told us to study."

Davidson almost laughed at the man's reply, but thought better of it when he caught the Colonel's response. Judging by the man's facial expression, he was already kicking himself for asking such a stupid question in the first place.

"How was the satellite found if it was drifting through the void?"

"The satellite was found by accident when a damaged cargo ship dropped out of hyperspace to conduct repairs. They detected a small power signal and investigated."

"What did the satellite look like?"

"A large building."

"How large?"

"Taller than the tallest building on Samsara. It took two Ha'tak to open a hyperspace window large enough to carry it back to the planet."

"Something that large would've been obvious. Why didn't we see it?"

"The satellite was found several lunar cycles ago. We dismantled it. The armor was studied. The sensors were studied. The communications equipment was studied. It was picked apart."

"What did you learn?"

"The satellite was badly damaged by the formation of a supernova that came into creation hundreds of thousands of years ago. It was beyond old. We couldn't determine the creating race. The systems were unlike anything we'd ever seen. We couldn't break its codes. The systems eluded us. The armor was too advanced to duplicate. Nothing was gained. The project was abandoned. We were selling it for parts when the Ori arrived."

"Did you keep the satellite's data core?"

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

"The main lab."

"What does it look like?"

"A crystalline orb of pulsating light," the man replied obediently, his tones unnaturally dry due to his induced state of mind. Despite the hypnotism, however, he still managed to add, "It was beautiful," in an awestricken tone full of wonder.

The Colonel looked up to one of the men standing guard of the bed and said, "Go ask Jack what she did with that orb she found. If she kept it, bring it here."

"Yes, sir," the man replied before marching off. As he moved past him, Davidson recognized him as the man from the Debriefing Room. He offered only a nod as he passed.

"How did you interface with the orb?"

"We used… spikes… other crystals… sharpened… touched the surface… data transfer… Go fuck yourself!" the man exclaimed weekly. The woman kneeling on top of him snapped her fingers once, and, as the man started to fight against his bonds again, his eyes rolled back into his head as he fell into a deep sleep.

"That's actually more than I expected to get from him," the Colonel admitted as he helped the woman down. "You're getting better at this."

"We got lucky," the woman said dismissively. "The fact that he was actually a scientist was pure chance. I honestly thought he was a soldier by the way he kept fighting."

"Let's just hope that Jack decided to keep the 'pretty ball,' shall we?" the Colonel said jokingly as the two of them walked towards Davidson. "Colonel Davidson, how goes the repair effort?"

"Slow, but measurable. Right now we're waiting on word from _Galactica_. The Commander is trying to find out if they have any resources to spare," Davidson replied.

"Are they likely to?"

"Not in my opinion," Davidson said. "Walk with me."

"Get in touch with Tommy and tell him to have Jack deliver the orb to Gabi if she kept it, and I'll meet you back at the barracks when your shift is over," the Colonel said to his subordinate while handing her his tablet before following Davidson out of the med bay. "Is there a problem, Colonel?"

"We're stranded in the middle of nowhere in a damaged ship that can't sustain hyperspace travel, our long range communications are shot to hell, our magazines are running low, our reserve of nuclear ordinance is nearly depleted, there's a man strapped to a bed being hypnotized into telling his secrets, I have strangers running around my ship, we're tagging along with a group of comparatively primitive space-faring people that are at war with something called 'Cylons,' they're losing that war, we're caught in the middle of it all, and we need them because they have raw materials we don't. Now add to that the rather interesting tale of Landry's classified service record and something called the Zeta Initiative, and I have a lot of question to which I feel I will never find answers," Davidson replied as they walked along. "Then there's what I was actually able to access on you before we lost our connection to Earth, and I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to do with you."

"You shouldn't believe everything you read in a military file written by a politician," Viride countered without breaking stride. "And, considering that my file was sealed, you shouldn't be reading things that are classified above your pay-grade. The only thing that you need to know about me is that I'm loyal to my planet first, and my country second. After all, if Earth is invaded, I'll be fighting for the planet to save my country. Might as well fight for the planet as a whole first. What you read in my personal records was, in its entirety, written by the Italian Prime Minister in an effort to make me more appealing to the Stargate Program. Don't make the mistake of believing a politician, Colonel. As for this so-called 'Zeta Initiative'… well, Carter needs to keep her imagination in check."

"So I should, what? Just ignore the fact that your files clearly says that you're a murder?" Davidson asked harshly.

"Murder?" Viride asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's actually not far off from what I was, Colonel, but the truth, in this case, will not set you free. And besides, I was acquitted of those charges."

"How?" Davidson asked, his tone unrelenting. "Friends in high places?"

"Ugo is the furthest thing from a friend I've ever had," Viride countered with such venom in his tones it forced Davidson to take a step back. "That **animal**," the Italian spat, "has caused me more pain than you could possibly imagine. If not for him, I would've grown up knowing the love of my family. Instead, I only discover I ever had one when I find my brother dying in a cave! Do not mistake my position as one of his underlings as a graceful appointment between two people of mutual interest. One of us wants to save the Earth from hostile threats, the other wants to rule the planet with an iron grip."

"What is the Zeta Initiative?" Davidson asked sternly.

"Classified above your pay-grade. I strongly advise you to leave it at that," Viride replied in kind.

"What. Is. The. Zeta. Initiative?" Davidson demanded.

Viride smiled in reply to Davidson's question. It was neither a pleasant smile, nor a handsome feature. It was dark, and sent a chill down Davidson's spine. "Privacy, Colonel, is key," Viride said before stepping down one of the other hallways, diverting Davidson away from the Bridge.

They started down the hallway, and Davidson asked, "What is it then?"

"Exactly how Carter put it," Viride replied. When Davidson looked at him questioningly, he added, "Tommy told me what you were talking about. Don't blame him though. He was just passing by on his way to the med bay when he overheard your… discussion of classified military documents. What she said is true. Landry service history in the Air Force is a carefully crafted lie. He traded identities with a man who had done all that claims to have done, and that man now claims to have done all that Landry did. It was all orchestrated by the IOA in their first remotely peaceful cooperative work with the SGC. The Zeta Initiative, as they called it, was born from an idea.

"Like the NID under Colonel Harold Maybourne, we were tasked with the acquisition of alien technologies to defend Earth. Regardless of who it belonged to, or whether or not they wanted us to have it, we stole it. I've run operations against Nirrti's labs, Ba'al, the Lucian Alliance, the Tok'ra, the Wraith, the Genii, the Jaffa… you name 'em, I've stolen from them, but that's not all that we do. There was a particularly… outspoken Tok'ra a few months back that wanted to end the Tok'ra's alliance with Earth. The unfortunate Tok'ra met a regrettable end 'at the hands of Ba'al.' In all actuality, he was assassinated in his own home."

"Landry sent you on an assassination?" Davidson asked, baffled by the mere idea.

"Of course not, Colonel," Viride replied. "The Tau'ri do not condone assassinations. There are other that do, however. Ba'al, for example, has had assassins working for him for thousands of years. The fact that he killed one of the Tok'ra that would've helped him is just… beneficial to Earth's continued good relations with the Tok'ra."

"So that's the Zeta Initiative? A bunch of assassins, thieves, and liars?"

"You could say that," Viride replied with a small chuckle. "It's best put as a version of the Lucian Alliance friendlier to Earth's wellbeing, but you're getting the gist of it and that's the important part. We started out just acquiring little bits and pieces of technology from Ba'al and blaming the theft on the Lucian Alliance. Then the Alliance started getting more aggressive so we planted evidence that made Ba'al so made he went to war with them. We've been fighting a war in the shadow of the SGC for years now. Mostly we just add more fuel to the fire and keep Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance so focused on one another they forget about Earth, but sometimes we go a little further and steal a few valuable pieces of technology from one side or the other. Most of it goes back to Earth, but some of it we need for ourselves to help keep us going. To help sell the illusion that anything we do isn't tied to Earth, I haven't been back home in four years, Colonel. That's my devotion to my position."

"So you keep the Lucian Alliance and Ba'al away from Earth?" Davidson asked. _'That's not as bad as Sam made it sound,'_ Davidson thought to himself.

"For the most part," Viride replied. "Just imagine if you had to worry about Ba'al and the Alliance more than you already do. The Ori are a threat to be taken seriously, and that warrants the _Odyssey_ constantly being deployed against them, but what if the Alliance was moving on Earth and the Ori were still here? How do you use one ship to stop two enemies when one of those enemies can only be defeated by activating a Supergate? We keep the war effort focused where it needs to be by handling the minor threats and keeping the larger threats preoccupied."

"And that's all you do?"

"No. Carter wasn't lying about our involvement in galactic affairs. We do have agents in the Free Jaffa Nation and other such organizations, though I can't believe she said that in front of Teal'c. If my people end up dead, I'll have to have a word with her about her table-side etiquette involving classified military information. She's also right about us being the ones raiding the lab worlds Earth is interested in, but we're not Landry's private army. We're Earth's secret strike force. There's only forty combat trained personnel under my command. The rest of the two-hundred lives I'm in charge of are all civilians working in the mines, growing food, building ships, or researching what we find out there."

"How do you survive out there with only two-hundred people?" Davidson asked.

"We manage," Viride replied. "Most of our success is attributed to the truly baffling number of hours everyone puts in to keep our operations running smoothly."

"What is it that you have against the Prime Minister?"

*_USS Odyssey_ (Cargo Hold Nine)*

"This is the part where things go bad, isn't it?" Tommy asked.

"Of course it is," Kimi replied dryly. "This is why Landry made rules about us interacting with the other SG teams."

"Rules he broke," Jesse pointed out. "We wouldn't be in this position if he had sent one of our ships instead of just having the _Odyssey_ grab us. It's not like we needed the drama."

"How have you not fixed that yet?" Jack asked. "You've been working on it for a week, and you're normally better than that."

"I normally have access to the materials I need," Jesse replied easily. "I'm working with what they're willing to give me, but right now I'm contemplating melting down one of the pans from the kitchen just to get the iron I need."

"I don't think the chiefs will like that very much," Kimi countered. "And we're in enough of a troublesome situation as it is without you stealing from the crew."

"I'd ask before taking."

"And you'd take it even if they said yes. Just do the best you can and wait to finish the repairs when we get back home."

"Whatever you say, Kimi."

"I thought you outranked her?" Jack asked in a confused tone.

"True as that may be, Jesse's… wiser than most men and knows better than to argue with a woman," Kimi explained.

"You mean to say he's gay and that means he's got enough girl in him to know better than to argue with a woman," Jack amended.

"Damn, girl. Why you gotta put a brother on blast like that?" Jesse asked in a tone of fake hurt.

"What's that supposed to mean? I didn't blow anything up?" Jack countered, her face the personification of confusion.

"No, that's not what it means," Jesse replied.

"I thought we agreed to stop saying things the aliens wouldn't understand?" Kimi asked.

"Slipped my mind, sorry," Jesse said with a shake of his head.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Halls)*

Viride stopped walking and stood in silence long enough to pull off his shirt before continuing, and, when he spoke, he purposely pointed to one of the various scars across his body that corresponded to what he was saying. "I have been cut, stabbed, burnt, electrocuted, shot, injected with deadly venom, dipped in acid, poisoned, gotten infections, and brought to the edge of death just to be brought back more times by that **one man** in the **one month** he held me prisoner than I have in the **sixteen years** I've been a soldier!"

"Damn," Davidson said with shake of his head. "Sounds like the type of man you'd hold a grudge against."

"I do," Viride replied darkly, "but he's still untouchable. He made sure of that."

One of the members of the crew, an average height woman with light brown hair and hazel eyes rounded the corner and stopped when she saw the two. "Excuse me," she said breathlessly as she passed between them. As she rounded the next corner she glanced back at the half-naked soldier and Davidson caught a glimpse of a smile on her face.

The Italian Colonnello pulled the fabric back over his head and it was then that Davidson realized that this man was truly a wolf in sheep's clothing. He had a very powerful build hidden behind loose-hanging fabric that didn't reveal the clean-cut muscle beneath. It was the type of deception that many hit-men used to keep their targets unaware of their true strength until it was too late.

"So you really were an assassin?" Davidson asked as they started walking again.

"Still am in a lot of ways," Viride replied. "As much as my new job definitely has more moral high ground than my last one, the fact remains that I'm still killing people for money, stealing their technology for my own benefit, and running around in the shadows doing things that most people would frown upon."

"But for the right reasons," Davidson countered.

"Like I said, more moral high ground, but I still feel… dirty."

"So… if Ugo had you kidnapped as a child, that means you're not even Italian, right?" Davidson asked.

"Don't mistake my words, Colonel. I'm Italian because that's where my loyalties lie, and they lie there because it's my home."

"Because you were forced to think that way."

"Doesn't matter," Viride said with a shake of his head as he kept walking.

"But you're not Italian," Davidson said as he followed the other Colonel.

"And your priorities are fucked up," Viride countered in a somewhat playful tone.

"What's in your file that makes you so unbelievably qualified that it stopped the IOA from fighting over who would lead the Zeta Initiative?" Davidson pressed.

Viride stopped and spun towards Davidson, a stern look in his eyes, "That's classified above your pay-grade, Colonel, so do yourself a favor and stop asking."

"This is my ship, Colonel," Davidson threatened as Viride began walking away again. "I'll have you thrown in the brig if I'm not convinced having you walk around my ship is safe for my crew."

Viride stopped again and turned to Davidson, the two Colonel's sizing each other up. "I've been through worse," the younger Colonel said with a shrug and a small chuckle.

Davidson just stared at the man, dumb-stricken by the simple statement. He was right, there was nothing that Davidson could do to this man without breaking his code of ethics that hadn't already been done. Imprisonment wasn't even a concern for a man like this. He was roughly ten years younger than Ian, and, as far as Davidson knew, newer to the program than he was as well. To say that the truth of that statement took him by surprise was comparable to saying that the _Odyssey_ could beat the _Galactica_. It was an understatement of epic proportions. One nuke from the smaller ship would obliterate the far larger vessel. It would be a slaughter, not a victory.

"Clearly we got off on the wrong foot," Davidson said sincerely. "So you have a dark past. It left its marks on you the same as everyone's past does. If there's one thing I know it's that no one makes it this far in any armed forces without a good code of ethics. I apologize for believing rumor and conjecture to be undeniable fact."

"I apologize for being so confrontational," Viride said with a small laugh. "My wife always said I was hotheaded."

"I didn't know you were married."

"That's because we don't know anything about one another other than what scuttlebutt and our records say and we both know that scuttlebutt is unreliable and records are never one-hundred percent accurate. In my more recent past, they introduced me to the Stargate Program at a rather interesting time in my life. My wife had just passed away from an incurable genetic disease that my son had been confirmed to have. When they came to me, I refused to join. I wanted to spend the last year or months my son had left with him, not exploring the galaxy."

"How did you end up here then?" Davidson asked as they started walking again.

It was strange the way the minds of men worked. They could be at each other's throats one moment and friendly the next. Women were the ones who tended to hold grudges. Neither of these men had time for something that petty right now, so they came to blow, even if it was just verbal, blew off some steam and went back to work. That was the way it worked.

"They told me that they could save him," Viride said disbelievingly, "and that helping them wasn't necessary, but I'm not a fool. The American government… Sorry. Poor choice of words. No government, back on Earth or out in the stars, ever does anything that strictly benefits someone else that isn't in their inner circle. We finally know about aliens, but only so many of us do. We know there's something out there that could kill us all, yet we're more divided than ever because nobody's willing to tell the public. I joined the program because I had one other choice and I'd rather my son grew up never knowing his father if it means he has a chance to grow up at all. My brother's widow is keeping him safe, clothed, fed… she'll raise him in my absence. I trust her with that much."

The younger Colonel drifted off to another world, the homeworld of humanity, and let his thoughts be there for a second before returning to the ship they were stuck on. "When I started out, they deployed me with SG-5 to get a feel for Gate travel then I took a trip to _Atlantis_ to get used to hyperspace. While I was there, I fought the Wraith. When I got back, I was assigned, not my own team, but my own command. They set us up behind what they called the 'Red Line,' an imaginary line on the galactic map that separates Ba'al from the rest of the galaxy. Not even a full year after seeing my son take his first steps as a healthy young boy free from his curse, I was leading a mission to capture what they told me was called a Ha'tak. To me it was just a flying pyramid. To them it was a target of interest.

"We boarded the ship with an Al'kesh, killed the crew, and stole the ship. We were ambushed before we could leave and the ship was damaged beyond the strike team's ability to repair it. Nevertheless, we had a mission to finish. We flew a ship that was falling apart at the seams on a three day hyperspace journey to a Lucian Alliance world, set the reactor to overload, and crashed it into their shipyards.

"We left in the same ship we came in on, reported back to Landry, and were sent to do it again only, this time, against a man called Ba'al who fancies himself a god. At least you know the _Odyssey_'s systems well enough that they can be fixed. I didn't have that luxury, nor did I have anyone nearby that was even remotely friendly. Back then, we were soldiers following orders. It took us months to start getting alone well enough to be acquaintances and about a year to trust each other enough to be friends. Putting that many different nationalities together… it was three parts daunting and two parts inspiring."

"Your ship could make an extended hyperspace jump," Davidson argued sarcastically.

"Only after we shut down the diagnostic systems and overrode the safeties. By the time we reached our destination, we were only flying **half** of a pyramid. The _Odyssey_ is still fully intact, her hull is sound, and the shields still work. Look at them," the Colonel said as he stepped into one of the side rooms and pointed out of the window that dominated the far wall. "The _Galactica_ is the only warship they have left protecting tens of thousands of civilian lives and that's all that's left of their people. She's missing chunks of her skin, her bones are showing, her teeth have dulled, and yet her meat's only gotten tougher to chew. Has Commander Adama given up yet? Has he decided that death is preferable to survival?

"Living isn't for the weak, Colonel. Life is a struggle to survive from the moment you're conceived until the moment you finally meet your inevitable end. What defines us isn't who comes out on top. Even he who loses the war can still be victorious. When the Cylons attacked the Colonials they nuked them from orbit without giving them a chance to fight back then started sweeping away the civilians like they were trash on the ground. Is that victory? Have the Colonials lost? No. Instead they have, against all odds, survived. You're better off than they are, Colonel, and you sound like you've already given up. I expect more from someone in your position."

The Colonel, who was most likely still in his early thirties, turned to leave and Davidson was tempted to let him go, but he still needed to address the issue at hand. "I don't remember dismissing you," Davidson said as the other man reached the door, though the hostility in their tones was long departed. "It's your men so it's your call, but I want to send Professor Howard and Doctor Naco over to _Galactica_ with a delegate team to open real negotiations with the Colonial President. They come highly recommended, and that's the type of people I need right now."

"I assume that Colonel Carter's already cleared Gabriella to shuck her duties on the repair team?"

"She has."

"Then you may do so under one condition."

"I suspected as much. Name your price."

"My Executive Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sampson, and Major Amani will accompany them. While I'm sure that your men are well trained, mine have proven themselves to me in the fires of combat."

"Granted. Inform your people," Davidson said, his eyes never leaving the view of the _Galactica_ which was, even now, undergoing repairs to her hull. He heard the door open and close behind him, yet he stood there, staring into space. It felt like a small eternity, but was likely only five minutes. Between the silence of the room and the solidity of being alone, he found answers to questions he hadn't even realized were being asked. "Yes," Davidson said to himself, "I can."

With the inner pool of his mind once again calmed, Davidson turned to the door and exited the room on his way back to the Bridge.

On the matter of posting:

To answer a question that's been asked, yes this story is already pre-written, but no it's not **complete**. There's forty-two chapters in total (including the Prelude and Epilogue) and I'm on chapter thirty-seven while you're on chapter six. You can see why that leaves me enough room to start posting stuff while I finish the last few chapters.

On the matter of character names:

All this "Green Arrow" stuff… I finally looked up what you were talking about. I assure you that my character has never spent time stranded on an island hunted by a mad-man hyped up on a super-soldier serum. For the record, his name is Colonnello Oliveto Viride. People call him 'Oliver' because that's what people do. They take a name they're not used to and they alter it. That's why they call Kimimaro, 'Kimi.' No, Kimi is **not** from "Naruto." She does **NOT** have magical bones that she can use as weapons. She's Greek, not Japanese. In Japan, Kimimaro may be a male name, but in Greece it's a female name.

On the matter of OCs:

For all of you who keep saying they're confusing, I know they are. This, technically, is an incomplete series. You know how the "Chronicles of Narnia" wrote the book that explains **how** it all happened **last**? Well I'm doing something similar. There are two books that "predate" this series. One of them tells you the full story of the omitted on grounds of being a spoiler. The other one tells you the full story of who my OCs are and what the Zeta Initiative is. I KNOW it's annoying, but those two books are hard to write. Believe me, I've been trying for a year to get one of those two to flow right. You know that whole time I wasn't posting stuff? That was me trying, and failing, to get those two books written. It didn't work out very well…

Also on the subject of "Green Arrow," TOMMY IS NOT HYPED UP ON MIRCURU (I have no clue how to spell that). A lot of people have "complained" about Nirrti being "overused." I've mentioned her **twice**… ***Spoiler Alert*** Jack is"Subject Zero" from "Mass Effect." Yes, the technology the Zeta Initiative sounds familiar to some of you, that's because it is. The way this book ends, without revealing too much to those of you who are reading this for the first time, leaves Earth facing an unstoppable enemy with a shattered fleet. Needless to say, they take a leaf from the Ancient's book and they run… Furling style. ***End Spoiler Alert*** Nirrti is used as part of the backstory for **two** characters and that's it! She's not overused.

On the matter of the timeline:

I've had people asking me when the _Odyssey_'s going to start using her energy weapons on the Cylons. My response to that question is simply, "After the Asgard die." This story begins between the two SG-1 episodes "Dominion" and "Unending." That means that Adria is ascended and the Asgard are still alive. My version of "Unending" is done in chapter 22. **After** chapter 22 we get our plasma beam cannons. So, in closing, this series starts our as post Battlestar _Galactica_: 2003's "Miniseries," post Stargate SG-1 season ten's episode "Dominion," pre Stargate SG-1 season ten's episode "Unending," and Stargate _Atlantis_ first shows up in the episode "Submersion" which is near the end of season three for SGA. YES THAT FITS CANNON! According to the Stargate Timeline, the _Odyssey_ gets her ZPM from when the Asurans kick the Ancients from the _Tria_ off of _Atlantis_. Shortly thereafter, the _Odyssey_ goes to Ida. **After** the _Odyssey_ gets back, the _Apollo_ is completed but, for some stupid reason, they deployed it before upgrading it. I never understood that…

On the matter of author's notes:

I'll try to keep these things to a minimal. I hate writing them because it makes me feel like I did something wrong. People asking about the timeline makes me think I wasn't clear enough. If I wasn't, I'm sorry. Also, I hate how they throw off the flow of reading a chapter. You read this before it then you read it. *shivers in disgust* Horrible, horrible thing to do.


	8. Defining Moment

Chapter 7

Defining Moment

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

Commander Adama looked over the DRADIS table with a practiced eye and watched the Vipers flying their routes. He also kept an eye on the barely readable blip that is the _Odyssey_, ever weary of betrayal from the unknowns. They spoke Colonial Standard and they helped save the fleet from the Cylons, but who were they? Why were they here? Where did they come from? He had questions for the delegates that were scheduled to arrive shortly, but that would have to wait until they arrived. For now, he had repairs to oversee.

"What's our status?" Adama asked the room at large.

"We've sealed the damaged areas of all the ships in the fleet and repairs to _Galactica_'s hull should be completed within a week. We're space worthy, but we're not battle ready," Lieutenant Gaeta replied.

"President Roslin is still preparing her speech and is scheduled to give the memorial service after we make the next two jumps or so," Dee added.

"We've taken full stock of the now missing supplies and determined that we're in desperate need of a new source of food or we're going to run out in less than five months," a third officer continued.

"Our Tylium reserves are also getting low. We have enough to last the entire fleet approximately six more weeks of constant jumping. If the Cylons would ease off and let us look around, I'm sure that there are untapped reserves out here, but we all know that that isn't going to happen."

"Our water supplies are currently being cycled throughout the fleet. We've set up a system to have the civilians give us their dirty water so we can run it through _Galactica_'s filters before distributing it to the next ship. We have plenty of filters and cleaners for the filters so there's some good news."

"Our ammo count is looking good, but, let's face it, that could change at any given moment in time."

The next officer was about to begin their report when Dee interrupted. "Sir, we're being hailed by the _Odyssey_. Priority-one channel."

"Patch them through," Adama ordered.

The Commander didn't even have the chance to give a greeting before Colonel Davidson's voice came over the line. _"They're back,"_ the Colonel said matter-of-factly, the sounds crossing the channel from the Bridge of the smaller ship those of soldiers preparing for battle.

"Who is?" Adama asked.

"_The Cylons,"_ Davidson replied. _"Unless you have more enemies you haven't told us about."_

"We're not…" Adama began before five new signals appeared on the DRADIS screen.

"DRADIS contacts," Gaeta said as he manned his station. "Five Cylon Baseships bearing down off the Starboard side of the fleet."

"Actions Stations!" Adama called out. "Set Condition One throughout the fleet. Saul, I need the jump coordinates distributed to the civvies." The CIC was an instant hive of activity as the _Galactica_ shifted in space to put her undamaged Port side towards the Cylon fleet and her guns swiveled into position. Already the _Odyssey_'s guns were tearing into the nearest Baseship and gunning down Raiders. It was time for them to join the fight.

The Commander turned to his radio and was readying to thank the Colonel for his advanced warning when he was, once again, interrupted. _"They what!?"_ the Colonel asked in a concerned tone that neared a shout. His next words had Adama in an instant mood of suspicion. _"Take us out, target the fleet, and fire at will."_

Adama didn't even have the chance to ask what the Colonel meant by his orders. Already the _Odyssey_ had shot forward and pulled into a hard loop. Their trajectory brought them straight through _Galactica_'s line of fire and several of the flak shells impacted the small ship, but the _Odyssey_ ignored the hits the way most people ignored flies. The ship finished its maneuver and almost immediately opened fire at the ships in the civilian fleet, orange streams of hyper-accelerated rounds flying into the thickest clusters of ships. This was exactly what Adama had feared; the whole thing was a trap and he had fallen for it.

*****_**USS Odyssey**_** (Bridge) [a few minutes earlier]***

Colonel Davidson walked back onto the Bridge of his ship just as Marks was starting to speak into the ship-wide comms. "Colonel Davidson to the…" the Major began before stopping midsentence as he noticed the Colonel standing beside him.

"What's the situation, Major?" Davidson asked in a level tone.

"We've detected a group of ships at the edge of our sensors range," Marks reported as he indicated the blips. "They're moving closer in a set pattern. They move about twenty light-years in a 'hop,' stop for two seconds, then repeat the hop two more times. After that they stop for five minutes then start moving again."

"I've focused the sensors and enhanced the signal quality as much as I possibly can without frying the system," Doctor Naco added. "It's a fleet of Cylon Baseships numbering roughly fifteen, pulse an unknown ship. We're assuming that it's also of Cylon make since it is traveling with them and they aren't attacking it."

"Just before you arrived, the fleet broke into two groups. Ten of the Baseships are continuing on a set course with an obvious destination, the Colonial Fleet. The other group of ships is moving slightly off course, but more to avoid the fighting than to break up their forces," Marks picked up.

"It's not a flanking maneuver?" Davidson asked.

"They're not in hyperspace," Doctor Naco explained. "If they wanted to flank us, all they'd have to do is hop a little farther than the other ships and they'd achieve that goal. I think that the ship we can't identify isn't combat capable, or serves as a lighter class. I think they're escorting it."

"Give me _Galactica_ Actual, we need to warn the Commander," Davidson ordered. The moment the line was confirmed as connected, Davidson said, "They're back."

"_Who is?"_ Commander Adama asked, clearly confused.

"The Cylons," Colonel Davidson replied. "Unless you have more enemies you haven't told us about."

"_We're not…"_ the Commander began before someone else interrupted him.

"_DRADIS contacts. Five Cylon Baseships bearing down off the Starboard side of the fleet."_

"_Actions Stations!"_ Adama ordered as he smoothly slide from confusion to action. _"Set Condition One throughout the fleet. Saul, I need the jump coordinates distributed to the civvies."_

"Oh, that's not good," Doctor Naco said as she darted from the navigational station to one of the terminals in the back of the Bridge.

"What is it?" Davidson asked.

"Remember what I was saying about how they'd flank us if they wanted to? Well… they split the fleet," Doctor Naco replied as she started crunching numbers in the ship's super computer. "Five of the Baseships are attacking the forward flank, and the other five will be attacking from our rear in a matter of seconds judging by the power build up. To make matters worse, they launched their fighters ahead of time which is the only reason why they're not here yet. If I'm reading this right, and, unfortunately, I am, they're about to jump a bunch of nuke-carrying fighters directly past our defenses and into the heart of the Colonial Fleet."

"They what!?" Davidson asked in a panic.

"If we're going to save them, we need to move now!" Gabi insisted.

"Take us out, target the fleet, and fire at will," Davidson ordered and Marks immediately threw the accelerator forward while pulling back on the controls.

Normally Marks would take it slow. This was not one of those times. Instead, he quite literally grabbed the accelerator lever and slammed it forward until it hit its max. He pulled the _Odyssey_ into a tight loop and completely disregarded _Galactica_'s flak field. Going around them would take time. Time they didn't have. He pushed the ship past what the damaged dampeners could handle and the _Odyssey_'s hull groaned in protest, forcing Marks to ease off the throttle as they came out of their turn. He was sure to get quite the earful from Sam later for stressing the hull when the dampeners weren't prepared to resist the strain.

"Predictive targeting solutions loading up now," Gabi said from her place in the back of the Bridge, and the forward viewport's tactical display shifted to project outlines predicting where the hostiles would appear when they dropped out of their strange form of FTL. "Judging by the buildup in their power cores, the second wave is jumping in three… two… one…"

"Open fire!" Davidson ordered.

Immediately the Tactical Officer, Major Donnelley, armed the point defense cannons and let loose while using the railguns to target the outlines of the Baseships where the computer said they would materialize. Less than a second after pulling out of their turn, they were firing at targets that weren't there… yet. True to the outlined symbols on the tactical display, by the time the _Odyssey_'s weapons fire reached the targeted areas, empty space had been filled by a swarm of Cylon Raiders. Normally their maneuverability would allow them to dodge the _Odyssey_'s fire, but, with the bullets already flying before the fighters had even arrived, there was no time for the pilots to register that they were being shot at. Twenty of the Raiders died in briefly lived balls of fire as the _Odyssey_ plowed through space, her railguns blazing and point defenses roaring.

The forward viewport lit up like the Fourth of July as the small ship continued forward and rammed into nearly fifty Raiders exiting their strange form of FTL at full speed. One of them flew over the _Odyssey_'s Bridge and impacted the rear of the shield, the fireball trapped by the bubble that had destroyed the fighter in question.

"What the hell?" Davidson exclaimed.

"Wow," Doctor Naco replied in an awed tone. "It's their FTL drives," she explained. "It's like the Stargate, but without the Gate. They jumped past the shield when we flew through an area that they hadn't occupied yet."

"They can bypass our shields?" Davidson asked, clearly concerned.

"Only if they time their FTL jumps just right," she replied while looking down at her tablet. Her eyes rose to meet his and she quickly added, "It was a fluke, one that was half our fault. Don't worry, I'm sure that they don't even realize that we have shields. The Colonials haven't figured it out yet either."

Davidson nodded once before turning back to the battle. The Raiders were swarming the _Odyssey_ to no avail and the small ship was still rocketing through the Colonial Fleet in an attempt to close with the Baseships that had launched them. Already Donnelly had managed to blast a whole into one of the Baseships, but they weren't in missile range yet, and these Raiders, like the Wraith Darts, were likely to intercept them if they fired too soon. Still the _Odyssey_ closed with the larger ships, sowing death in every direction as she went, though Davidson did have to admit that most of their fighter kills were from ramming into them.

"Is that thing… spinning?" Colonel Mitchell asked as he ran onto the Bridge in time to see the damaged Baseship's lower half rotating so that the damaged portion was out of their line of fire while the upper half remained stationary.

"What a waste of space!" Doctor Naco scuffed. "Why not just rotate the whole ship when it's damaged? That's what _Galactica_ did. Putting the mechanisms into the core of the ship needed to rotate the arms is a waste of power and space, a structural weakness, and just plain stupid!"

"It worked," Cameron argued.

"So would simply turning the ship," Doctor Naco countered in a matter-of-fact tone before returning to her work… whatever that happened to be.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Frak!" Gaeta exclaimed. "Five more Basestars just exited FTL on our rear flank."

"They saw it coming," Adama said with a strange sense of relief.

"How?" Saul asked, his tone indicating that he still didn't trust these people.

"They saw it coming," Adama repeated. "They knew the Cylons were coming before we did. They can track FTL jumps."

"That's impossible!" Saul protested. "Not even the Cylons can track an FTL jump."

"How do we know that, Saul?" Bill asked. "They've followed us this far. Do you honestly think it's because they're just that lucky?"

Saul mulled that over in his mind before replying. "So they're Cylons after all?"

"No," Bill said with a shake of his head. "They had us dead to rights. Five Baseships with our backs pinned to the fleet. They could've destroyed _Galactica_ in one volley then taken the civvies. The Cylons went from two ships to five, and now ten. We're not their only target anymore, and they know that the _Odyssey_ is worth more Baseships than _Galactica_ is."

"This could all just be a trap," Saul argued.

"What would be the point of such an elaborate trap? Five Baseships could've finished us off. Ten is overkill. The Cylons wouldn't sacrifice so many ships just to get **one** to tag along with the fleet. They have no reason to. They've already proven that they can track us."

Saul grunted in dissatisfaction and turned back to the DRADIS table. "Frak that ship is fast," he muttered as the _Odyssey_ shot out of the far end of the fleet and closed on the other five Baseships in half the time it would've taken a Viper to cross the same distance.

"The _Odyssey_'s covering our backs, but the fleet is pinned between a two-sided battle with nowhere to go. If they get spooked, they'll scatter and the Raiders will have free run of the entire fleet. Dee, get on the horn and make the captains understand that if they break formation they're putting **everyone's** lives at risk. If we all survive this and anyone does break formation they'll be tried for treason," Adama ordered. "This will be a defining moment for all of us. How we handle the next few minutes will either make or break the future of our entire species. We live together, or we die alone."

"So say we all," Dee said as she started relaying the Commander's orders.

"So say we all!" the CIC crew echoed in unison.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

The _Odyssey_'s railguns tore into the fighter bay so foolishly located at the joint of one of her target's arms and its center column. The arm snapped off under the fire as secondary explosions tore through it and a missile, perfectly timed to slip between the Raiders swarming the Battlecruiser, threaded the needle hole and flew into the depths of the Baseship where it detonated beside the liquid-fuel storage tanks. The Baseship exploded in a fireball a split second later and Donnelly was already chipping away at the next Baseship's armor before the light had dissipated while the 302s gave the Raiders a run for their money.

"That's two down, three to go," Donnelly said as another missile slipped into the Heavy Raider bay of the target Baseship. The Major, being of the Tau'ri, however, didn't know that such a thing as a Heavy Raider even existed. None of them did. Nevertheless, the second Baseship exploded just as easily as the first.

That only made it all the more surprising when a flash of light deposited a large, shuttle-like ship inside of the _Odyssey_'s shield. The small shuttle made a bee-line for the Port side hangar bay and fired a pair of missiles at the blast doors. The trinium-alloy plating held under the blasts which was to be expected of an alloy designed to survive plasma bolts, but the door was now dented. Heedless of the risk involved, the Heavy Raider made a kamikaze run and rammed into the damaged doors.

The armor buckled and bent out of shape as the Heavy Raider made space for itself where space wasn't meant to be available. It made a crash landing in the hangar and alarms started blaring throughout the _Odyssey_, the Warrior Airmen squads instantly running to the armory to gear up for anti-boarding duties. The guards posted at the Bridge silently exited the room to set up a defense post as the bulkhead sealed behind them and more officers ran up to join them in the defense of the ship's command center.

"_What was that?"_ the unmistakable voice of Colonel Viride came from the rear of the Bridge where Doctor Naco was working on her tablet.

"We've been boarded," the woman replied as she pulled a pistol from her waste, checked her clip, and then placed the weapon back in its holster, "and you have my gun."

"_Focus on what's important,"_ the Colonel ordered gruffly.

"A Cylon shuttle or troop transport blew its way through the Port hangar bay doors before crash landing. Odds are that people survived. People we don't want to be on **our** ship."

"_We're moving to intercept,"_ the Colonel replied.

"Colonel," Davidson called to the voice coming from the tablet, "I'm giving you command of the anti-boarding teams. Prioritize the Bridge, Engineering Deck, Engine Room, Med Bay, and the Barracks. If at all possible, keep one of them alive."

"_Affirmative, Colonel,"_ Viride replied before the line was terminated from his end.

Davidson turned back to the matter of his own battle and had a moment of disorientation as he went from staring at the stable background that is the rear of the Bridge to staring out at the stars as they swirled around them. Marks had taken the _Odyssey_ into a barrel roll and Davidson could see why. There were three more of the shuttles in the _Odyssey_'s shield and the Major was disposing of them by ramming the shield into their hulls as the protective barrier moved with the ship that was projecting it.

"Point defense weapons are running low on ammo," Donnelly warned them. "We need to reload the magazines, but that opens up opportunities for the Raiders to jump through our shield or for them to attack the civilians."

"We'll just have to be quick about it," Davidson replied grimly.

"It's an automated system," Donnelly explained as he gunned down another wave of missiles aimed at the civilians. "It takes ten seconds for the expended clips to be removed, the loaded clips to be positioned, and the bullets to be fed up to the barrels."

"Then it's best we start now," Davidson said with a tone of finality.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

Adama was keeping his eye on the five Baseships bearing down on the _Galactica_, his attention on the overwhelming number of missiles being fired at his ship. Saul was watching the _Odyssey_, not yet ready to accept that the ship wasn't there to destroy them. It was, therefore, he who witnessed the _Odyssey_ stop firing long enough for a missile to impact one of the passenger liners.

It was a luxury model that had a spinning ring for its habitable zone to simulate normal gravity. The missile clipped the ring and blasted a hole in the ship. More missiles flew past the small ship headed for the fleet and Saul was sure that this was the plan all along. He was strangely relieved when the _Odyssey_, rather than let the missiles slip past it unchallenged, turned its main guns on the missiles. Normally the long barrels of the turrets on the ship's hull pumped out enough rounds to create a stream of bullets. This time, however, a single bullet was sent chasing after each missile.

To do this, the _Odyssey_ had to turn its back to the Baseships it was trying to hold off. When it did, the Cylons pounced like rabid wolves at the smell of fresh blood. Missiles slammed into the rear of the ship unopposed by the _Odyssey_'s point defense system. More than one of them were nuclear.

"Bi…" Saul began as he feared that the ship had been destroyed and the fleet was now defenseless. He stopped before finishing his friend's name.

DRADIS was still relatively clear since the blasts were so far away, and, oddly enough, the EMP wasn't reaching them. Three nukes had just slammed into the _Odyssey_'s engine block, but the ship was still fighting. Orange bullets were still chasing down missiles, and, as the last of the nukes aimed at the civilians disappeared off their screens, the _Odyssey_ turned again and its point defense weapons roared to life with a vengeance. That little ship was a hell of a lot tougher than Saul had given it credit for, that much he was certain of. Their loyalty, however, he still doubted.

"What is it, Saul?" Adama asked.

"The _Expedient_ got hit by an indirect blast. They're venting atmosphere and there are fatalities," Saul replied. "It looks like the Toasters caught the _Odyssey_ while they were reloading their magazines."

"Frak," Adama swore. "We're not going to hold out much longer," he begrudgingly admitted. "We need a Gods-damned miracle."

"Radiological alarm!" Gaeta shouted above the noise of the CIC.

Adama braced himself and waited for the hit, the rumble, the death that followed those words. It didn't come. Not in the way that he expected.

*****_**USS Odyssey**_** (Bridge) [a few seconds earlier]***

"This is bad. This is really, really bad," one of the crew was saying as they tried not lose their cool.

"We are **not** giving up!" Davidson said in a tone that left no room for arguing. "There are lives depending on us, the fate of an entire sub-branch of Humanity hangs in the balance, if you can't handle the stress, report to your bunk, send in your replacement, and get some shut eye. I need you at your best or not at all."

The Airmen in question eyed the bulkhead that separated the Bridge from the rest of the ship then looked back to the Colonel. There were aliens aboard their ship and a firefight had broken out near the hangar bay. To make matters worse, their internal sensors couldn't detect the enemy and their comms were being jammed. No one knew where the enemy was, and past that bulkhead was a long run to the next heavily guarded area of the ship.

"Are you with me?" Davidson asked.

The Airmen locked eyes with the Colonel, squared his shoulders and nodded in confirmation. "I'm with you, Colonel."

"This is fucking ridiculous!" Donnelly swore as he checked their ammo readings. "We've pumped out more round in this battle than the _Daedalus_ did against the Wraith in the battle to save _Atlantis_ from twelve Hiveships, thirty-six Cruisers, and thousands of fighters and we've downed twenty percent of the number of Raiders than they did Darts and it's taken us longer to get it done. These damned fighters are too maneuverable to hit!"

"How many nukes do we have in reserve?" Doctor Naco asked the tactical officer.

"A full salvo," Donnelly replied.

"Can I use one?" she asked, her question now directed towards the Colonel.

"For what?" Davidson asked.

In reply, she pressed a few buttons on her tablet and the tactical display shifted to show an external view of the _Odyssey_. "Detonate a nuke here," she said as a red dot marked where the nuke would be detonated, "and the blast will destroy both of those Baseships and seventy percent of their fighters."

"We'll be caught in that blast," Davidson argued.

"Our shields were designed by the Asgard to fight the Replicators who use their own technology against them only super charged because the Replicators can use their own bodies to create extra power generators," Marks replied as he brought them in for another pass on the capital ships. "Goa'uld shields can handle our nukes with no problem and we're still at eighty-six percent shield strength. I agree with the Doctor here, it's worth the nuke to clear the airspace."

"How do we get the nuke to your designated point without the Raiders shooting it down?" Donnelly asked.

Gabi smiled a sly, mischievous smile. "We fly in the opposite direction to get the Raiders to follow us, the Baseships should also turn their good armor towards us as well, and then we beam the nuke to the coordinates and let them have a taste of their own chosen method of genocidal destruction."

"What about our fighters?" Marks asked.

"They're engaging the Cylon fighters already in the fleet. They're well out of range of the blast radius," Gabi replied.

"I like the way you think," Davidson said with a smile of his own as Marks took the _Odyssey_ on a course that would drive them away from the designated coordinates. "Engineering, beam a Mark VII to the following coordinates and set it to detonate in three seconds," Davidson ordered.

"_Aye, aye, Skipper,"_ Sam's voice replied in a tone that told Davidson she knew exactly what was going on. Then again, the two women were probably communicating over the ship's wireless network.

Three seconds later, a bright light consumed two Baseships, shoved the third off course with minor damage to its hull, vaporized the cloud of Raiders that had formed around the _Odyssey_, and washed over their shields, a soft rumble running through the hull being the only ill affect they could feel.

"Now we know how the Goa'uld feel when they get hit by our nukes," Marks mused. "It's not fun."

"Report," Davidson ordered.

"The blast took out roughly ten percent of our shields. We're now down to just below eighty percent, but there's only one Baseship left and their fighters are almost entirely gone."

*_USS Odyssey_ (Port F-302 Bay)*

Gunfire tore through the air as both sides of the warring parties unloaded into each other. The big, shiny metal men with the roving red eyes were tough SOBs to take down and they packed one hell of a punch. It was rather unfortunate for the soldiers of the Tau'ri that they weren't used to fighting metal men, but rather fortunate for them that they **were** used to fighting Replicators, Wraith, Jaffa, and Anubis' Kull warriors. All of those enemies were just as hard to take down, and the men and women who had fought them had learned to be just as resilient.

One of the Marines, for there were members from almost every branch of the US Armed Forces in the _Odyssey_'s crew, defending the hallway in an attempt to stop the boarding party here and now had three bullet holes in his chest and still refused to fallback. He was slumped against a wall with his rifle resting on his knee to keep it steady, his other arm hanging loosely at his side. Mostly he was laying out suppressive fire, but his determination was inspiring. Most of the men and women standing defense of the hall were bleeding from one wound or another, be it a gunshot to the leg, arm, chest, or gouges inflicted on them by the razor sharp claws the robots had for fingers. Of the original ten who were in the immediate area when the shuttle blasted its way through the hangar doors, eight were left standing and only one of them wasn't in need of immediate medical attention.

That one was currently trying to drag the man with three bullet holes further back up the hallway to get him away from the advancing machines. Her rifle was blazing and her muscles straining to drag the man who outsized her by nearly double the weight. She had a look of grim determination on her face as she limped on a leg that was bleeding steadily and continued to drag her fellow combatant towards the safety of a corner. With one arm she gripped the back of his collar, with the other she gripped her rifle firmly and sent a steady stream of bullets flying down the hallway as she retreated with the other defenders providing covering fire. When her clip was emptied, she dropped her rifle and let it hang from the strap that secured it to her body, drew her sidearm from her thigh, and kept firing. She is a Marine, and she would take as many of her enemies to Hell with her as she could.

A flash of orange flew past her and impacted one of the robots in the head, the aforementioned appendage being blown away in a shower of sparks as the shiny metal body dropped to the ground in a limp heap. Two more orange flashes impacted the torso of a second robot, but that one simply shrugged off the blows and kept walking forward. It got too close to the woman dragging the man for her to be comfortable, so she released her grip on the now unconscious man, steadied her aim, and emptied her clip into the holes in the robot's armor. The robot stumbled back as if stunned and she used the opportunity to reload, choose another hole, and open fire. The second clip finished it off.

A second later a large black man grabbed the unconscious Marine by the arm and threw him over his shoulder with the ease of a Jaffa. Teal'c then easily retreated back to the corner, firing the whole way with the woman by his side, and carefully laid the man on the ground as the rest of their reinforcements ran up to join in the fight.

"I'll admit," Colonel Viride said as he stacked up on the corner to get a look at their opposition, "I'm surprised you kept that thing."

"It is more ceremonial now than practical," Teal'c replied as he readied his staff weapon. "It looks better to walk the halls of Dakara with a staff weapon than it does to carry a Tau'ri weapon. There is still much debate over whether or not the Jaffa should still be allies with the Tau'ri."

"Yeah, I heard about that," the Colonel replied. "It looks like there are still eighteen hostiles remaining, and they know we're here. They're fortifying their position."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed with the Colonel's assessment as he, too, leaned around the corner to take in the situation. "They could be planning on repairing their ship and trying to escape."

"That's unlikely," the Colonel replied with a shake of his head. "They didn't ram our hangar doors just to retreat after suffering two casualties. They could be attempting to salvage enough of their shuttle to overload their reactor and take the _Odyssey_ down the way that Colonel Sheppard did to that Hiveship during the Second Siege of _Atlantis_."

"Then we must stop them before they succeed," Teal'c said matter-of-factly.

"Indeed," the Colonel agreed. "Jack, I'm going to need you on point."

"About damn time," a short woman with even shorter hair said as she shouldered her way to the front of the formation of twenty soldiers.

"You five, take the wounded to the medical bay and be sure to bring a first-aid kit with you on your way back," the Colonel ordered of the five people nearest the rear of their little huddle.

"Yes, sir," three of them replied before helping the wounded to their feet. The other two shared a look of dissatisfaction before nodding their compliance and helping those who couldn't walk quickly on their own.

"Alright, Jack. Make a hole," the Colonel ordered with a nod to the woman.

"With pleasure," the small woman said before her body began to glow a deep shade of blue-ish purple mixed with an unexplainable darkness. She then stepped into the hallway and the Cylons opened fire on her. Bullets pinged off of her skin, simply bouncing away as if they were striking rubber as she gathered that darkness.

With a snarl of rage mixed with centuries of pain, the woman took a single step forward and crossed twenty meters of distance in a blur. As her foot hit the ground on the other end of that twenty meters, a boom echoed down the hall and she took another. Twenty more meters crossed in an instant and another sonic boom as the air slammed back together after having been forcefully parted to accommodate her passing. She made it to the other side of the door to the hangar bay in three booming steps and the glow around her body became unstable before expanding into a shockwave of force.

The two robots defending the door were blasted away from their position and the Colonel ordered the anti-boarding party to, "Move in and secure a beachhead!" As the fifteen of them charged down the hall in the wake of the glowing woman, the Colonel called ahead, "Jack! Bubble!"

The woman shuddered, the glow of her body traveling up her spine towards her head before running down her arms and forming in her hands. She brought her arms up, hands spread wide, and a simmering barrier snapped into existence between the Humans and the Cylon's robotic soldiers. Enough gun fire to reduce the Human body to nothing more than paste impacted that shimmering barrier in the time it took for the Humans to charge into the hangar and slide into cover behind creates of supplies for the 302s. With any luck, they weren't hiding behind anything that would explode if shot.

The barrier protecting the small group of Humans from the slightly larger group of robots began to flicker and loose its brilliance as the glow surrounding the woman's body lost its intensity. Clearly the two were connected. The Colonel ran forward and tackled the woman to the ground, their bodies sliding across the metal floor but stopping just short of the crate the man had obviously attempted to land them behind. They both scrambled to their feet and made a dart for the safety of cover as bullets flew over their heads, or, in the woman's case, bounced harmlessly off of her unarmored flesh. She moved with her side exposed to the robots, the Colonel running beside her and protected from harm by the very flesh of the glowing woman. Then the two were in cover and the woman was breathing heavily.

The Colonel popped up over his crate and squeezed the trigger of his rifle. Whatever ammo he was using, Teal'c was certain it was not the standard SG-issued rounds. The bullets from his rifle did the one thing no one else's gun could do. They pierced the armored chest of the robotic men and tore apart the internal working with ease. A short burst was all it took to down one of the Cylon's soldiers while others were working in pairs and trios to a far lesser effect.

'_Three down, seventeen to go,'_ the Colonel thought to himself as he noted the two robots Jack had thrown away from the door rising to continue fighting. "Have at it," the Colonel shouted over the noise of the fighting as he turned his gun on those two that were behind their line.

"I love it when you say that," the former Goa'uld Host said with a dark look in her eyes before the glow surrounded her body once more. With a thud of air displacement, Jack appeared before one of the robots. The glow of her body coalesced into a ball of light around her hand and she drove her fist through the thing's chest in a single punch, the two-and-a-half centimeter thick metal plating doing nothing to stop the powerful blow. The Cylon toppled over, lifeless, and Jack turned her wrath to her next target with a throaty roar.

There was another thud in the air, the shockwave reverberating around the empty chasm that is the 302 bay. The woman tumbled through the air in a supersonic summersault that was punctuated by her booted feet striking metal with enough force to send a robot that had to weigh at least a ton crashing into another. Neither of them got up from that, and it looked like the two bodies might have been fused together by the pressure in certain areas.

On one side of the engagement, plasma bolts fired from Teal'c's weapon, the orange bolts burning through metal armor as if it wasn't there and frying machinery precious to the metal men, but still the Cylon's robotic creations fought on. On the other side, Oliver's rifle took down metal men with equal ease while Jack rampaged through the ranks of metal men. Still the Cylon soldiers returned fire on the Humans crouched behind cover, wounding several. The Kevlar vests that the men and women of the Tau'ri wore had, long ago, been replaced by a composite material designed to be more resistant to Wraith stunners and Goa'uld staff weapons. Stopping bullets was child's play for such a material, but the Cylons weren't using standard ammunition. Their rounds were armor-piercing.

And soldiers were dying.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

The floor beneath them rumbled and shook violently as a pair of nukes detonated on the outer hull. That brought the count up to three, and they were still fighting the clock. "Fires in sectors seven, ten, eighteen, and twenty-two. Damage control teams to actions station," Lieutenant Gaeta ordered over the internal comms.

Adama was looking at the DRADIS table watching the Raiders and the Vipers chasing each other across space. They were losing ground, and more than one Raider had made it past their defensive line. One of the signals representing a civilian ship blinked three times before disappearing off of their screen. The _Olympic Carrier_ had been destroyed.

Another blinking signal on the DRADIS screen caught the Commander's attention and the last Baseship the _Odyssey_ had been fighting was destroyed, but the _Odyssey_ herself was nowhere to be seen. The ship was hard to detect when it was holding still, but Bill could always make out its signal even when it was moving. That signal was now gone entirely and that area of space was being flooded with EM radiation from the overpowered nuke the _Odyssey_ had deployed.

"Looks like they bit the dust," his XO said.

"Something tells me that you're wrong, Saul," Bill countered.

"I hope I am," Colonel Tigh agreed. "There!" he said as the _Odyssey_ shot out of a cloud of radiation and EM emissions firing off a barrage of missiles as they reappeared on DRADIS.

One of the Baseships assaulting _Galactica_ took seven standard missiles to its central column followed by two that slipped into the hole that those seven created. The Baseship wasn't even done dying by the time the _Odyssey_'s main guns were blowing a hole into the next one, the orange bullets shifting from one target to another in rapid succession with six missiles following them out of the launch tubes. The entire swarm of missiles fired by the small ship was intercepted by the Raiders on defense duty, but the damage was done to the hull and, where the _Odyssey_ failed, one of its fighters succeeded. Flying through space so fast that it was a ghost on the DRADIS screen, the small fighter slipped a single rocket-propelled explosive through the gap in the Baseship's armored hull and struck something critical enough to set the entire Baseship aflame.

"Empty the tubes!" Adama roared.

All of _Galactica_'s missile tubes opened and fired, the long cylinders following a preset course that would take them through a predetermined gap in the Battlestar's flak field. Three of the missiles flew into the hole the _Odyssey_ had created in the second Baseship, two more stuck the armor of the third Baseship, two slipped into the gap created by the joint assault, and the rest of them were intercepted by Raiders. With three of the Baseships attacking her now destroyed, the _Galactica_ turned in space to bring her forward weapons to bear.

"Target the Raider bays and fire at will!" Adama ordered victoriously as he began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The forward facing KEWs were already loaded, the coils were spinning, and the rounds were poised. The first pair of the kinetic energy shells slammed into the central column of the Baseship that stood before the _Galactica_ and split the starfish in half, the compromised structure succumbing to secondary explosions. _Galactica_ continued to turn as her guns were reloaded, the _Odyssey_ joining her in her assault.

The last of the Baseships was spinning. As the _Odyssey_'s hyper-accelerated rounds slammed into its hull, they dug gouges into the armor, but failed to penetrate as the motion of the Baseship helped to deflect part of the energy. The ship was also moving back in a retreat from _Galactica_'s main guns. Just as the Battlestar got its sights lined up and fired, the Baseship disappeared in a flash of light. The massive bullets _Galactica_ had fired soared through empty space where once a Baseship had been.

It was over.

And they were still alive.


	9. The Face of the Enemy

Chapter 8

The Face of the Enemy

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Port side F-302 Bay)*

A pulse of blue light propelled the crate forward and it struck the Cylon at the far end of the hangar with enough force that the robot was sandwiched between it and the wall. A shower of sparks marked its death as its assailant flew past its dead body and tackled the last of the metal men to the floor. The glow of her body surrounded her right fist as she drew it back and delivered a blow that severed shiny metal head from shiny metal body. Then her left fist was raised and the light coalesced there before the robot's chest was caved in by another blow. She continued to beat the metal body to scraps until the glow disappeared and her anger went with it.

She stood to her feet, breathing heavy, hands bleeding and knuckles broken. She turned in a slow circle and took in the hangar. There were fires burning where oil on the ground had been ignited by sparks, but the fire suppressant systems were already smothering the flames in a thick foam. Her eyes started to return to their normal color, the vibrant blue fading away and being replaced by the soft brown that she had been born with. She flexed her broken fingers and relished in the sharp feeling of pain. If she could still feel pain, she must still be alive. If she was still alive, she could still kill.

Movement caught her eye as one of the shiny metal men that had been gunned down by the guards tried to get up to its feet. She drew her hand back and the light formed in her palm, a ball of mass-distorting energy that would tear the machine apart on the molecular level. That's what they told her anyway. All she needed to know was that it made people feel her pain before Death finally took them. She was just about to throw that ball of entropic energy at the machine when a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Davidson wants one left alive," Oliver said sternly.

"You and your damned prisoners," Jack said in a tone of disappointment. She made the ball in her hand stop swirling and lose its lethal edge until a sparking bubble rested gently in the palm of her still bleeding hand. She then shook off his grip and tossed the bubble at the robot. The bubble grew in size as it flew until it trapped the metal man in its confines, then it shrunk down until it formed a second lair of skin over its own armor, one that stopped it from moving. "Good luck getting that thing to talk," Jack said with a wince of pain at having used her broken fingers. "I doubt that Cassidy can hypnotize a robot."

"That's okay. I have a feeling that Gabi would have more fun with this thing anyway," the Colonel replied as he walked over to the robot while pulling a small device from his utility belt. "Let's just hope this works," he muttered to himself as he placed the small charge on the robot's forehead. There was the whir of a small motor coming to life before a powerful bolt of electricity coursed through the metal man and the light that was, apparently, its eye shut off.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"Anything?" Davidson asked in a somewhat breathless tone. The _Odyssey_ had been in a few scrapes in her time, but, for some reason, the numbers fielded against them was still equal to the Ori despite the fact that the _Odyssey_ was the superior ship in this fight. Or maybe it was the thousands of civilian lives at stake?

"Screens are clear, sir," Marks replied, "but we've taken losses on both sides."

"What's our status?"

"The hangar bay doors need to be fixed, the communications systems are still unrepaired, the inertial dampeners have 'recharged'," Doctor Naco reported with air quotes around the word they were using to describe their current situation, "and we have several wounded members of the defense team arriving in the med bay now. One of the Marines that helped them get there ran back towards the 302 bay with a first aid kit and your lead medical officer is readying a small team to follow after him. As for the hangar itself, it looks like our team cleared it. We have two confirmed fatalities and multiple casualties, but I can't tell if anyone died beyond the two initial defenders. Either way, the jammer was on their ship and should be disabled… now. I have Colonel Viride on the line."

"Colonel, what's your status?" Davidson asked into the comms channel.

"_There were two fatalities in the first wave of defenders, bodies yet unrecovered. Second wave defenders have… seven wounded. I've got a man in critical condition here and my medical training isn't the best in the world,"_ the Colonel replied somewhat frantically. _"Teal'c, I need you to put pressure on this!"_ Viride continued at a shout. _"Send a medical team and make sure they bring blood. I've got a woman bleeding out here that's not going to last much longer on top of the man who lost an arm to an explosive round. There are fires in the hangar that are close to reaching the 302 fuel reserves and the suppressant systems aren't going to stop them in time. I suggest we vent the hangar once everyone's clear or we could end up losing this entire section of the ship. Captain! Put pressure higher up on that wound! You have to stop the blood from reaching the stomp if you're going to stop the blood from escaping!"_

"Medical team is en route," Marks said as he sent the request for blood over the internal network.

"_Don't carry the wounded without proper head support! Teal'c, I know you're a Jaffa and you're trying not to hurt her, but put more pressure on that wound or she's going to die!"_ the Colonel shouted at the men around him. _"Captain, just take your belt off and use it as a truncate. Slow the bleeding down as much as you can. Jack! Help me move her."_

"_What the fuck do you want me to do? I kill shit, I don't heal people. That's Tommy's job,"_ the voice of an angry woman replied.

"_A magical gurney would be appreciated,"_ Viride shot back.

Colonel Davidson looked to Gabi who merely shrugged. "She used to be one of Nirrti's test subjects. She's also over three-hundred years old."

Davidson's reply to that was cut off by Oliver's report. _"We've also got a new prisoner, and a bunch of questions,"_ the Colonel continued speaking, the sounds of the roaring flames dying out of the comms channel as the man presumably walked away from the source. _"Everyone out! That's the wounded and the dead!"_

"Copy that last part, Colonel. You captured one of them alive?" Davidson asked.

"_You could say that, but I'd use the term 'alive' far less liberally. We were boarded by robots, Colonel."_

"Say again?"

"_Shiny metal men with roving red eyes, thick metal skin, servomotors for muscles, and hydraulic fluids for blood. We were boarded by robots. Careful now, don't jar him when you set him down."_

"That explains the lack of life-signs," Doctor Naco mused. "If we were boarded by robots, then of course we couldn't detect them. If the Baseships are crewed by robots, then of course they don't have organic life-signs on them. It also explains why their fighters are so good at dodging pinpoint fire. There's no organic pilot which means there's no need to worry about pulling a turn with too much G-Force. It also means that they have predictive algorithms like we do and they think fast enough to use them in combat. It does raise a rather concerning question though."

"What's that?" Davidson asked.

"If they're robots, why are their ships made of cybernetically-enhanced organic materials?"

"Great," Donnelly said in a disgusted tone. "So we're fighting the Replicators mixed with the Wraith? As if either species wasn't hard enough to kill on their own!"

"Highly unlikely," the short scientist replied as she continued to work on her tablet. "The Lanteans were more advanced than anyone else when they made the Asurans. I don't think anyone in this galaxy has what it takes to build anything even remotely comparable to the Replicators. They're just robotic soldiers used so that the organic creators don't have to die. However, it does raise the question of who those organic creators are, and I think I know the answer to that."

"_I think it's about time we sent our delegates over,"_ Colonel Viride suggested. _"We can get our answers in person that way."_

"I'll set it up with the Commander. Get your men out of the hangar so we can vent it and send in the damage control teams. We need to land our birds and there's not enough room in one hangar for a full flight of 302s," Davidson ordered.

"_Copy that, Colonel,"_ the Colonel replied. _"We're all clear on our end. Vent it."_

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Viper Bay) [twenty minutes later]*

The Raptor set down with a soft bump and the elevator they had landed on began to descend into the bay itself. Once inside, they were wheeled out by a small tractor. The door on the side then opened and the pilot led the way out.

"That's just crazy," she said to the man behind her in conclusion to their conversation.

"Something wrong?" Commander Adama asked as he walked over with a small honor guard behind him.

"Their hangars," Boomer replied. "They have a… what did you call it?" she asked as a man with brown hair stepped out behind her.

"It's called an atmospheric retention barrier," the man replied. "It holds in the atmosphere so that we can walk around the hangar while fighters are launching and landing. It allows us to fit more fighters into a smaller bay than this one," the man said as he looked around the massive Viper bay.

"I walked out of the Raptor wearing an oxygen mask and they were just standing there… it was weird," Boomer added.

"Huh," Adama grunted. "And you are?"

"Doctor Daniel Jackson," the man replied as he shook the Commander's hand. "With me are a few members of the _Odyssey_'s crew that specialize in fields that may be useful during negotiations as well as a few specialists that Colonel Davidson is, from what I understand, loaning you. It's a pleasure to meet you in person," Daniel added.

"Likewise," Adama replied with a nod. "How's the _Odyssey_ holding up?"

"A few of our systems are damaged and in need of repair, long range communications and FTL being the more pressing of the two. We also took some damage to one of the fighter bays when a Cylon shuttle decided it wanted to land there."

"You were boarded by the Cylons?" the Commander asked.

"Yes, we lost two good men in the fighting and a third is… probably not going to make it. She's lost a lot of blood and there's some internal bleeding as well. Another soldier lost an arm. We simply weren't expecting robots to land in one of our hangars," Daniel said in a questioning tone.

Adama nodded at that and motioned them forward. "That… is a long story," the Commander began with a sad sigh.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Auxiliary Lab)*

Gabi was hunched over the Cylon robotic soldier that was strapped to the table with wires running into its head when Jack walked in holding a crystal orb. True to the description the Lucian Alliance researcher had given, the orb was full of pulsating light that was constantly changing color. When they first saw it, the members of the recovery team had assumed it was just a fancy light fixture. Even knowing it was a data module, they had not the slightest inkling exactly how important the orb truly was. That knowledge would come later.

"Here's the… thing you wanted," Jack said as she held up the orb she had only grabbed because she thought someone else might get pissed if she took it.

Gabi looked up from her work with a puzzled expression and a, "Huh?" before realizing what the other woman meant. "Oh, you mean the thing that Oliver wants me to want?" Gabi asked with a dismissive wave.

"Whatever," Jack replied in an irritated tone as she idly picked at the bandages on her fingers.

"Just put it on the table over there, I'll take care of it later," Gabi said, indicating the table with a nod of her head and jut of her chin.

"What are you up to?" Jack asked as she set the orb down and wrapped a loose cord around its base to keep it from rolling. She then walked closer so as to look over Gabi's shoulder as the scientist picked apart the Cylon's brain.

"Trying to interface this robot to my tablet," Gabi replied.

"Is your tablet going to be able to handle that?" Jack asked. "It seems to me that the robot would have a better processor than your little computer."

"Normally it would," Gabi agreed before nudging a small, oddly shaped object in the robot's head, "but whoever created these things installed a neural inhibitor that keeps the robot smart enough to follow orders, but dumb enough to keep them from asking questions."

"Whatever that means," Jack replied before walking away still picking at her bandages.

Gabi finished the work of connecting the final lead then picked up her tablet and sent the power up order to the machine that was thoroughly tied down. As an added precaution, all of its ammo had been removed from its weapons and she was also actively draining the hydraulic fluids out of their tubes. Her tablet's screen opened a second page and a large amount of data started scrolling across the field as the robot's eye came to life and took in the ceiling above it.

Behind it, Gabi pressed a few buttons on her tablet and tried to make sense of the data she was seeing, but nothing was working. The code was too alien for her to make sense of it. Activating her radio, Gabi called the Bridge. "Major Marks, I've got a request for the Colonials I'd like you to push through."

"_What's up?"_ Marks asked in an upbeat tone. The recent victory against impossible odds had been a real morality booster.

"See if they have anyone over there that's good with Cylon codes. Go ahead and tell them we've captured one of their soldiers alive and that I can't figure out how it works on my own," Gabi replied.

"_Let me patch you through to Doctor Jackson, he's already gone over with the negotiators. Weren't you supposed to go with them?"_ Marks asked.

"Colonel Davidson vetoed that when we captured the tin man. Got the channel yet?" Gabi replied.

"_Patching you through,"_ Marks informed her.

That crackling of the channel being encrypted was finally broken by the near panicked voice of Daniel Jackson. _"Shut it off!"_ Daniel nearly shouted.

"Why?" Gabi asked, but only after she had hit the kill switch.

"_That's not a Cylon soldier, it's a Cylon,"_ Daniel replied before a gruff voice took over.

"_The Cylons are the race of robotic automatons that the Colonial Armed Forces created to do war with the other colonies back before the Unification. They became smart enough to question why they were taking orders from Humans then rebelled against the Colonial forces. The war lasted for twenty years and the Cylons had a knack for hacking our networks and using our ships to tear each other apart. They used the same tactic to take out three-fourths of our fleet and all twelve of our worlds before we even had a chance to fight back. Don't let them into your networks or they'll use the _Odyssey_ to destroy the entire fleet,"_ Commander Adama explained in a series of growls and snarls.

Gabi had to resist the urge to laugh at the mere notion that a Cylon could hack their computers, but she wasn't about to disrespect the man. "I assure you, Commander, that won't be a problem. The _Odyssey_'s systems are encoded with Asgard firewalls and those things were designed to fight off the Replicators' viral attacks. Not only is it a far superior code to anything that the Cylons could've developed, it's also an entirely different language. If I can't make heads or tails of their code, then they don't have a chance in hell at cracking ours. If anything, this is your chance to study up-to-date Cylon coding. Just send me one of your experts and we'll get started."

"_I'll send Doctor Gaius Baltar. He had a hand in studying what we know of the Cylons. Just do us all a favor and don't network any of the computers you use to study the damned thing,"_ Adama replied.

"I'll do that, Commander," Gabi replied as she disconnected her tablet from the ship-wide network and wiped the hard drive of any information that could be used to harm Earth. "When can I expect your man?"

"_I'll send him over as soon as I can find him,"_ Adama replied gruffly.

The line went dead and Gabi left the prone form of the Cylon, which was apparently a real Cylon, and walked over to the pulsating orb lying on the desk. Playing back the recording of the interrogation of the Lucian Alliance researcher, helpfully recorded and made available to her through the separate network that the members of Oliver's team used, she noted how they interfaced the orb to their computers then made a quick trip back to her room to grab a few supplies. She returned a few minutes later chewing on the last piece of her sandwich and carefully set her bag on the table next to the orb then removed a small box and four clear crystals.

The box was just that, a box. She spent a minute emptying it out and cutting five holes into it, then pulled out her grinder and started reducing the flat tips of the four cylindrical crystals into sharp points. Another few minutes were spent positioning the crystals in the box so that, when she placed the orb in the center, they all touched the surface and suspended it between the four points. Wires were connected to the crystals then those wires were connected to the computer.

With a few commands entered into the consul, the four clear crystals began to hum, a soft melody filling the air as their molecular composition began to change. What started out as four clear crystals ended up becoming an eclectic blue crystal, two orange crystals, and a jet black crystal. Gabi looked at the crystals, removed the sphere from the center, and then ran a diagnostic on all of them. According to their new structure, the blue one was a transmitter, the two orange ones were receivers, and the black one transferred power to the orb.

With that in mind, Gabi hooked the black one up to a power supply then adjusted the connectors on the blue and orange crystals so that the data would flow properly. After that, she placed the orb back into the cradle and started shifting through the data stored within. It only took three seconds of looking at the information on her display to know that something was horribly wrong with this picture. She had seen this code before, but it shouldn't be out here.

Activating her radio again, she called Engineering. "Hey, Sam, you're going to want to see this."

"_On my way,"_ Sam replied. She arrived moments later, took one look at the screen from her place still in the doorframe, and her jaw set into a grim line. "Where did you get this?" she asked as she walked over and pulled a chair up to sit beside her former pupil.

"Lucian Alliance lab world a few star clusters over from where you found that bunker of yours. The researcher we questioned said that they found the satellite drifting in the void between systems between the planet we assaulted and a farm world called Samsara. He said the satellite itself was the size of the largest building on Samsara and that they spent months taking it apart only to gain nothing because the tech was too far above their level to even study it properly. Is this what I think it is?" Gabi asked.

"I think so," Sam replied as she shifted through the data. "In fact, I'm going to say that it is," she amended when their access to the data was restricted without warning. "This orb and the satellite it came from were made by the same people who built the bunker," Sam said as she pulled the orb from its cradle, "and that bunker had an AI in it."

"I disconnected this entire lab from the _Odyssey_'s networks at the behest of Commander Adama who insisted that the Cylons would be able to hack our computers if we didn't."

"And?"

"There's a neural inhibitor built into its brain. That Cylon is about as smart as a Replicator Spider-Droid without the benefit of knowing the Asgard language inside and out. It poses no real threat to the ship."

"This is beyond coincidence," Sam said as she looked at the orb in her hands. "The bunker, the satellite, the orb, the Cylons, the Colonials… all of this is coming together in a way that I don't like."

"Stop being paranoid, Sam," Gabi said as she took the orb from Sam and placed it on the table. "The satellite was found a few dozen light years from the bunker. It was probably created by the same race to be a sort of defense mechanism. The Lanteans did it too, so it's not that much of a stretch. The Lucian Alliance found it by luck, or an accident. Whichever you want to call it. They dropped out of hyperspace to conduct repairs and there it was. As for the Cylons and the Colonials? Of course they're connected, one created the other. When's the last time you slept?"

Sam let out a deep yawn and laid her head on the table. "It's been awhile," Sam admitted in a voice that said it all, "but there's more work to do."

"The communications system isn't going to be fixed overnight, Sam, and the inertial dampeners aren't going to be fixed at all until we get back to Earth. Take a break, get some rest, clear your head, and then look at the problem with a fresh mind. We need you at your best, not dog-ass tired. You're more likely to make mistakes working like this. Get some rest, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks," Sam said with a genuine smile as she got up. She made it about half way across the room before coming back and grabbing the orb before walking off. As she went, she said, "Something similar to this learned my every move while I was trying to hack it. Sorry, Gabi, but I'm not leaving this hooked up to anything. Do what you want with the Cylon."

Gabi shook her head a few times then placed her jury-rigged interface on top of the computer consul before going back to her work with the Cylon. She'd have to wait for _Galactica_'s expert to arrive to get anything meaningful done, but she wanted to study the hardware while she waited so she set out to find a welding unit that wasn't being used in the repair effort.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

Commander Adama had been leading Daniel through the halls of his ship explaining the Colonial race's fight against the Cylons, and it was neither a short story nor a short walk. They arrived at the CIC just in time for a clock to tick down to two minutes.

"Anything yet?" Commander Adama asked.

"Nothing on DRADIS," Lieutenant Gaeta replied.

"The _Odyssey_ saw them coming long before we did last time. I say we ask them if they're picking anything up," Saul suggested.

"Doctor Jackson, can you ask your people if there are any Baseships in the area?" Adama asked.

"Major Marks," Daniel said into his radio.

"_Doctor Jackson, how are things going over there?"_ Colonel Davidson replied.

"I'm getting a history on the Cylons," Daniel answered. "Commander Adama was wondering if we're picking anything up on the long ranged sensors."

"_We're still tracking the damaged Baseship from the last engagement and the rest of the fleet escorting the unknown ship. As far as we can tell, they're just following us. They could be waiting for reinforcements or preparing for an assault, but, at this point, they lack the firepower they need to destroy_ Galactica_, let along the _Odyssey_, and they know it,"_ Major Marks informed them.

"You can track them from that far away?" Commander Adama asked.

"Our sensors were designed by a very advanced team of experts," Daniel replied, purposefully leaving out the part where that 'team of experts' was composed entirely of aliens. Something told him that the Colonials just weren't ready to hear about that.

"And you'll keep an eye on them?" Saul asked.

"They pose as much of a threat to us as they do to you. If they really do hate Humanity, then we're in the same boat here… literally. The _Odyssey_ is damaged and incapable of long range FTL jumps, our weapons are running on low, our communications are shot, and our hull is damaged. We're better off than you are, but only because we can outmaneuver most of what the Cylons are throwing at us. We'll keep them under constant surveillance, don't worry."

*_USS Odyssey_ (Auxiliary Lab) [ten minutes later]*

Gabi finished cutting through the metal shell that covered the Cylon's chest then nodded to Jack. Her body pulsed and gravity above the Cylon began to misbehave. The metal plate drifted up towards the roof and listed slightly as it went. Jack reached up and pulled the plate to the side before letting gravity return to normal and the chunk of metal dropped to the floor with a loud clang.

"Thanks," Gabi said as she looked into the robot's chest.

"Sweet," Jack said as she took in all the computer chips, hydraulic tubes, and motors. "What's that?" she asked while pointing at a large block.

"The power core," Gabi replied as she took photos and started scanning the inside.

"You really did capture one intact, didn't you?" a man asked from the doorway.

"No, this is just dream," Jack replied in a dead serious tone while letting her body glow faintly.

"Ignore her," Gabi said as she looked up at the man. "You must be Doctor Baltar. I'm Gabriella Naco."

"A pleasure," the man said as he walked closer. "Is it…" he asked as he pointed at the Cylon.

"No," Gabi replied as she picked up and waved the tablet that was still connected to its brain by a cluster of wires. She set the tablet down again and pulled out her knife before setting to work. She severed the hydraulic tubes that allowed the thing to move and cut a few wires connected to the servomotors to be sure it was immobile. Only then did she pick up the tablet again and power up the machine.

"What are you doing!?" the Colonial scientist exclaimed as he ran to hide behind a computer consul.

"It has no ammo and I just broke everything that makes it move," Gabi replied in an annoyed tone. "Now get over here and tell me what this means."

Very slowly the man poked his head out then proceeded to walk over and join the two women. "Well," Gaius said as he looked at the computer in her hands, "that's a very small computer."

"It's a tablet," Gabi said as she flicked through the various screens she had pulled up.

"And it's operated by touch?"

"You've never seen a touch screen?" Jack asked. "Come on, even I've seen one before!"

"Most Goa'uld tech uses holograms," Gabi pointed out.

"Touché," Jack countered before making her way to the door. "Have fun on your date!" she called over her shoulder as she left.

"What's 'Goauld' tech?" Baltar practically stuttered.

"A very, very long story that has nothing to do with why you're here," Gabi replied. "How do I decipher Cylon binary?"

'_Why does she want to know?'_ the very attractive blond female that lived in his head asked Baltar. _'What does she stand to gain by doing this?'_

"That's a good question," Gaius said.

"You don't know?" Gabi asked in disbelief. "Then why did you come?"

"Not that," the man replied hastily. "I was asking myself… it's nothing."

"You're going crazy, aren't you?"

"That is a frighteningly real possibility."

"That's understandable," the short woman replied earnestly. "I would be too if my race was on the verge of extinction."

"I suppose I'm not the only one either," Gaius said.

"No, I would imagine you're not," the woman agreed, "but you are the only one who can help me figure this out."

"Why do you want to know?" Gaius asked.

"These things boarded my ship, killed two of my people, are threatening the last of your people, and we have the opportunity to study one. Why would I **not** want to know?"

'_She thinks she can create a virus to shut them down. She's very mistaken.'_

"You can't create a virus to shut them down, if that's what you're thinking. The Cylons are hive-minded. If one of them is infected with a virus, the others will either destroy it or repair it."

"A simultaneous infection then."

"We've tried that before. It never works."

"Why not?"

"Communications technology can only travel so far so fast."

"If our communications systems still worked, we'd be able to phone home despite being very, very, **very** far away. Hell, it only takes a relay at the edge of the galaxy and a ship in the void to reach _Atlantis_ in an emergency. You'd be surprised at what we're capable of."

"Right…" Baltar said skeptically. "But what about the Cylons? You can't infect them all unless you upload it into all of them at once. You can't use this one to broadcast that virus if **it** doesn't have your communications equipment."

"Then we upgrade it."

"That's… a risky move, and not one I can advise."

"And that's why you're here to teach, not advise," the woman said sternly as she handed him the 'tablet.' "So start teaching."

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Commander's Office)*

"I knew it was bad, but how bad was it?" Doctor Jackson asked as he followed the Commander into his office.

"We lost five of our pilots, more than twenty birds are damaged, three of which are beyond our ability to repair, the _Expedient_ took a missile to her habitation ring, we lost the _Olympic Carrier_ with all hands, _Galactica_ took three more nukes to the hull, our armor is barely holding, and more than half of my crew is hyped up on stimulants to keep them going because they can't be dismissed from duty without jeopardizing the safety of the fleet," the Commander replied as he sat down in his chair and tossed the file onto his desk.

There was a knock on the door and the Commander stood to his feet to welcome the President as she walked in. She looked at Daniel then gave the Commander a sad smile. "It's bad, isn't it?" she asked solemnly.

"We make mistakes, people die. There aren't many of us left," Commander Adama replied in kind.


	10. Paying it Forward

Chapter 9

Paying it Forward

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Colonial One_ (Press Room) [five hours later]*

Being present for this was hard, even though he didn't know anyone that was lost. Marcus stood at the back of the room observing the memorial with a heavy heart, but he knew that they had all done their best. Despite the losses they had suffered, this entire fleet would've been destroyed if Doctor Jackson hadn't have convinced Colonel Davidson to try and open negotiations. It was a fucked up situation, there was no doubting that, but it could be worse. It could be far worse.

"So say we all," the President finished her speech and the entire room echoed her last words.

Marcus made a mental note that there was some significance to the line. He would have to look into it later. With a solemn look about her, the President walked up to a white board where a number was written. She hesitated at that board before erasing the number forty-nine-thousand, nine-hundred-ninety-eight and replacing it with the number forty-seven-thousand, nine-hundred-seventy-two. Between the damage done to the ship the _Odyssey_ had defended, the _Expedient_, and the loss of the ship on _Galactica_'s flank, the _Olympic Carrier_, they had lost two-thousand, twenty-one civilian lives and five Viper pilots.

The crowd began to break up and disperse, some going to a corner for private prayer, others heading for the hangar bay where Raptors were waiting to take them back to their ships. Marcus stayed behind and waited for the room to empty out before approaching the leader of the Colonial civilian government. She acknowledged him with a nod and motioned for him to follow as she headed further into the ship. They reached her office before the woman spoke again.

"I wanted to thank Colonel Davidson in person for his help defending our people, but I understand that the _Odyssey_ is damaged and there were fatalities during a boarding action that require his attention," the President said in an apologetic tone.

"We lost two Marines in the initial assault. They died holding off the Cylons long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten," Marcus replied.

"Did they have families?" President Roslin asked sadly.

"They did," Marcus replied in kind as he took the seat opposite her. "One was married with two kids. The other… his wife is five months pregnant. We're not even sure we'll be able to get his body home for a proper burial before his child is born."

"Gods," Laura said as she buried her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry."

"This isn't your fault," Marcus replied, slightly confused.

"Not mine, but ours," Laura insisted as her eyes met his. "You have no business here. Your people are your own and I can't thank you enough for your help, but this isn't your fight. You shouldn't be dying on our account. Your wives shouldn't become widows in our war. Your children shouldn't be orphaned by our mistakes." Laura shook her head again and fought back the forming tears. "Thank you."

"Commander Adama filled in Doctor Jackson on the Colonial's history with the Cylons. He sent us the brief version."

"You must think we're all frakking idiots."

"The Colonials aren't explorers. You've lived on your twelve worlds fighting each other and were content to do so for a long time. We were like you once, but we only had one world to fight each other on. Then we reached past orbit and we found life in the stars. It took aliens attacking our world to give us a semblance of unity. It took the Cylons to do the same for you, but what you'll soon realize is there is more to this galaxy than you could possibly imagine," Marcus replied in a comforting tone. "There have been races far more advanced than your own that have made bigger mistakes and still survived. You're not even the first species we know of to have created robots only to have them rebel against them, and your mistakes with robotics isn't the first war against machines we've fought."

"I don't doubt that," Laura said with a nod.

"Really?" Marcus asked. "Doctor Jackson was under the impression that Commander Adama didn't believe that aliens existed."

"'Life here began out there'," Laura explained. "These are the first words in our Sacred Scrolls, but 'This has all happened before,' is my personal favorite. If life here began out there and this has all happened before, then why should I doubt you?"

"Do you have a spare copy of your Sacred Scrolls?" Marcus asked. "I'd like to understand your culture more, and your universal belief in a pantheon of gods is a rather important part of that."

"You don't believe in the Gods?" Laura asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Athena," Marcus replied in a scholar's tone. "Where I'm from, they are known as the Olympian Pantheon. Long ago, the belief in these gods was strong, but there has always been an unsettled false-peace between the religious factions of my homeworld. Many, many years ago there was a historical event known as the Crusades. The believers of a monotheistic religion began taking over their neighbors and forcing their people to believe as they did and worship their God. This started what was to become a long and bloody series of wars fought for no better reason than one group couldn't agree with the others. More wars have been fought in the history of the Tau'ri over religious believes than there have been wars for resources. It's a rather disturbing fact about our sub-branch of Humanity."

"That is rather sad," Laura agreed, but the light in her eyes told Marcus there was more to be said.

"You have questions," Marcus more said than asked.

"Where are you from?" Laura asked.

"I was born in Canada, one nation amongst many on a continental land mass known as North America. Anything more specific and you would only be more confused than you are now," Marcus replied.

"Then be less specific," Laura said. "What do you call your world?"

"My homeworld has many names," Marcus replied truthfully. "To the Goa'uld and the galaxy at large, we are known as the Tau'ri which means 'First Ones,' or 'Those of the First World.' To the Asgard, my planet is known as Midgard. In the language of the Alterans, who first settled the planet so many millennia ago, we live in Avalon on a world called Terra. According to our own coordinate system, we live on P2X-3YZ. Take your pick."

"P2X-3YZ?" Laura asked. "What type of name is that?"

"It's a coordinate system," Marcus repeated. "You put that into our computers and engage the FTL drive and you'll be in orbit of our world in a matter of hours… if the hyperdrive was working properly."

"I've never heard of a coordinate system like that," Laura said in an interested tone. "I'd ask how it works, but I don't think you're the type of man who can give me a clear answer."

"No, I'm not," Marcus agreed. "I'm not a scientist. I'm a cultural analyst and linguistics expert."

"Linguistics expert?" Laura asked. "Does that mean that you don't actually speak Caprican Standard?"

Marcus smiled at the woman before saying, "No, the language I speak is one you won't understand," in English. She looked at him strangely and he made the mental switch back to 'Colonial Standard,' as she had called it. "It's called English," Marcus explained. "It's the most commonly spoken language on my world, but there are hundreds of languages with thousands of sub-dialects native to the Tau'ri homeworld. Our linguistic and cultural diversities have one benefit in that it makes the languages of the galaxy easier to decipher because there's always one language or another that we can reference. Your language, for example, is a combination of two Tau'ri languages we call Latin and Greek. Knowing both of those allows me to speak your own."

Laura's face twisted into a mask of thought at that. She sat there, lost in thought, for a good five minutes before she next spoke. "You said that Tau'ri means 'Those of the First World'," she said. "Now you're telling me that the languages of the galaxy are derived from your own. Are… are you from Kobol?"

Marcus rested his elbows on his knees and leaned in closer as he asked, "What significance is this name to you?"

"'Life here began out there'," Laura repeated. "That line refers to Kobol, the Homeworld of Humanity. The Sacred Scrolls say that we lived there with the Lords of Kobol until a great catastrophe forced us to flee the dying world. If you're from Kobol, then it would explain why you say that you're 'Those of the First World'."

"No," Marcus replied with a shake of his head. "I've never heard the name Kobol refer to a planetary body."

"Then what significance is the name to you?" Laura asked in kind.

"I'm a cultural analyst and linguistics expert," Marcus said again. "I was assigned to an advanced recon team because I'm good at my job. I studied the ruins on a planet somewhere very near this sector of the galaxy. On that planet I found a city that was called Kobol. Perhaps I misinterpreted the information, but I know for sure that the city **was** Kobol which isn't to say that the planet wasn't also named the same. I know that there's a Texas City in the state of Texas just as there's a New York City in the state of New York, for example."

"If you're not from Kobol, then how does your Midgard, Avalon, or whatever else you want to call it, know the languages of the Gods?" Laura asked.

"Perhaps the people of your Kobol were taken there from my world," Marcus replied.

"No," Laura replied sternly while shaking her head. "The Sacred Scrolls clearly state that all life began on Kobol, not that life was taken **to** Kobol. Your history must be wrong."

"Madam President…" Marcus began.

"Please, just Laura," Roslin interrupted.

"We are known as the Tau'ri because of what **galactic** history states, not our own," Marcus continued, ignoring her interruption for the most part. "Our enemies call us what they do because they, themselves, personally came to our world and took our earliest ancestors. They came in ships shaped like pyramids and abducted people by the thousands if not millions. They spread them across the galaxy on habitable worlds, used them as a slave labor force, took them for Hosts, and turned them into the Jaffa. There was a rebellion on Terra that led to these beings, those who called themselves our Gods, being forced off of our world. They left, and their quickest means of reaching our planet was buried and entombed in one of the very pyramids they forced their slaves to build."

"Our Scrolls were written over three-thousand years ago, Professor," Laura said matter-of-factly.

"The events I just described to you took place over ten-thousand years ago and we have the physical evidence to back our claims," Marcus countered in kind.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Auxiliary Lab)*

To say that the man working with her was annoying would be an understatement the likes of which had never been made before. Doctor Baltar was insane. Brilliant, but insane.

"What's this?" Gabi asked as she pulled a small chip out of the Cylon's head.

"That," Gaius said as he took the chip from her as if she was about to smash it on the ground, "is the MCP, otherwise known as a meta-cognitive processor. It's what…"

"Makes a simple machine capable of sentient thought," Gabi cut him off. "Yes, I know what a meta-cognitive processor is. I've just never seen one so… flashy."

"It is indeed an elegant design," Baltar agreed. "The first one used in the original Cylon wasn't even this beautiful."

"That's evolution for you," Gabi said with a shrug as she went back to digging in the Cylon's head.

"Evolution?" Baltar asked in a tone that hinted at having been insulted. "They're machines, not people."

"And machines can't evolve?" the woman asked, her eyes burning with a fierce flame of defiance. "Just look at this thing!" she insisted as she pulled her hand, which had been elbow deep in the Cylon's inner workings, out to wave at the machine strapped to the table. "Does this thing look even remotely similar to how you originally designed it to? Do their Baseships? How about their fighters? Look at this code!" she added as she held up the computer that was far too small to be a real computer and waved it around. "This is a work of art. It's nothing on Da Vinci's level, but it's still good."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Baltar replied as he looked at the crazy woman.

'_Come now, Gaius,'_ the woman in the red dress said in a seductive tone. _'You can't deny that the Cylons have evolved beyond what the Humans so carelessly limited them to be.'_

"Well, I can't argue with that," Baltar muttered under his breath.

'_You should help her, Gaius. God would want that.'_

"God would want her to create a virus that can destroy the Cylon race?" Baltar asked, trying his best not to be heard.

'_Not with that,'_ the blond-haired figment of his imagination said with a roll of her eyes. _'Help her find her way. They need to go home, Gaius, and you can help.'_

"You just want to follow us to Earth so that you can destroy them too," Baltar hissed.

"What did you say?" Gabi asked.

"Nothing," Baltar replied. "Wasn't talking to you."

The woman eyed him carefully then pulled a small device from her pocket. There was a soft white light that scanned over his body then she looked at that computer-that-wasn't-really-a-computer again. "You're not wearing an earpiece and we're the only two in here. What did you say?" she asked again.

"You can tell that just by turning on a flashlight?"

"It's a scanner."

"It still wasn't directed at you."

"Well this is," the woman said before Baltar received a swift fist to his face. As he stumbled backward and tripped over his own feet, Gaius dropped the MCP, the chip rattling on the ground. "What did you say?" she demanded as she towered over his prone form. "Tell me," she added darkly as she drew a gun from her hip, "or I'll end you, this alliance, and your fleet's chance at surviving the Cylon genocide of the Colonial race."

"I said that you just want to follow us to Earth so that you can destroy them too," Baltar pleaded.

"Why would we follow you to Earth?"

"It wasn't directed at you!" Baltar insisted.

"Then who the hell are you talking to?" the angry woman demanded.

"Her!" Baltar said as he pointed to the woman in the red dress.

Gabi turned to look for the indicated person only to have her feet swept out from under her. Her feet went up as her back came down, but she managed to land on her left hand first, her right still clasping the gun. She shifted her weight mid-fall and brought her own foot up in an arc that caught the rising Baltar right between the legs. The man, who had just scrambled to his feet, went back to the floor clutching his reproductive organs while Gabi finished her spin and landed in a crouch, her gun raised and at the ready.

"Either you're stupid, or insane," the woman said as she stood up to tower over Baltar again, though this time she kept her distance. "My guess is insanity," she added as she put her weapon away and activated her radio. "Send a medical team to Auxiliary Lab Three. I think Doctor Baltar might be losing his mind. I want a full psych evaluation and a head scan done up as soon as possible."

"_Copy that, Doctor. I'll send someone up now. Is anyone harmed?"_ the head of the _Odyssey_'s medical bay asked.

"Just his pride… and his genitals," Gabi replied.

"_Do you need a psych evaluation too?"_ the Doctor asked in a serious tone.

"I'll have the Colonel forward you my report," Gabi said without answering the question. Picking up the MCP and placing it back on the table, she grabbed her tablet and left Baltar on the floor knowing that the medical team would be there in a matter of seconds since the medical bay was right around the corner and down the hall.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Halls) [twenty minutes later]*

Gabi was walking down the hall writing that report when she ran into Sam who looked like five hours of sleep had done her some measurable amount of good. The bags under her eyes weren't as prominent at any rate. "I was looking for you," Sam said brightly.

"I was covering my ass," Gabi replied as she finished her report and sent it to both of the Colonels on the ship.

"I heard," Sam said, her words coming out fast. "I need your help."

"With what?"

"I found a way to get the dampeners working better than they are right now. It'll just about triple our FTL range," Sam explained in a rapid tone as she grabbed Gabi's wrist and drug her down the hall.

"I'm not that type of engineer, Sam," Gabi protested.

"I know," Sam replied as she continued to lead the way down the hall. "I need your help with the programming to get the _Odyssey_'s computers to accept the modifications."

"And what about the Colonials?" Gabi asked. "If we leave them behind, the Cylons will see that we're gone and the forces they have guarding that mystery ship will be more than enough to destroy the _Galactica_ and finish off this branch of Humanity."

"Samsara?" Colonel Viride asked as the duo reached the Engine Room. "You want to launch an attack on a Lucian Alliance world with the _Odyssey_ in the state she's in?"

"What?" Gabi asked. "I thought we were fixing the dampeners!"

"I thought we were discussing a way to help the Colonials," Davidson added as he arrived behind the two women.

"It's all connected!" Sam said as if it should've been obvious. "Samsara is a Lucian Alliance farming world a few dozen light years from our current location. We can reach it with the Colonial Fleet in about five days at our current speed, or we can reach it in a matter of minutes and be back here before the Colonials are ready for their next jump."

"And I say again, you want to launch an attack on the Lucian Alliance with the _Odyssey_ in the state she's in?" Colonel Viride asked again.

"It won't be an attack!" Sam countered as she pulled out the tray that held the highly advanced subspace communications system. "Your prisoner said that the last cargo ship sent to Samsara found that satellite a few months ago, right?"

"Yes," the Colonel replied skeptically.

"I'm lost," Davidson interrupted.

"Samsara is a world that we only know about because we intercepted a shipment headed from that world to another," Sam explained as she started working on the communications array again.

"It was that whole fiasco where SG-1 got tagged with a radioactive marker and bounty hunters followed them to Earth," Colonel Viride added casually.

"We never attacked it because it didn't have a Gate and it was a waste of tactical assets to assign the _Odyssey_ to attack a farming world. The climate on the planet is so viable for crops that they can grow a full supply in three months. If I'm right, the Lucian Alliance will just now be sending their convoy to pick up the next shipment. If they leave today, they won't reach Samsara for about a week. If we take the Colonials there and use their Raptors to shuttle the food up, we won't be able to get there, grab the food, and make it out before at least three Ha'tak show up to take what's theirs, but, if we use the _Odyssey_ to beam the supplies up and make runs back and forth, we can transport the whole shipment before they even get close!" Sam explained excitedly.

"You want to take a ship that's running on the bare minimum of its FTL capabilities and put its hyperdrive under that type of stress running errands for a fleet of people we don't know?" Colonel Viride asked indignantly. "I've been against this alliance of yours since the beginning and for good reason. This isn't our war, and Earth has enough enemies as it is. Now that we're committed to this, against my better judgment, I'm still mostly against helping the Colonials with the Cylons, but we are headed towards Earth the whole time we're moving and there is safety in numbers, but I'm not about to advise that we put the _Odyssey_'s systems under that much stress just to get food for these people, because, **should** the hyperdrive or dampeners give out, I'd rather it be because we were headed home, not because we were going grocery shopping. It's like running around town on a depleted tank of gas. You can either go to the gas station first and get more gas, or you can run out and hope that the towing service doesn't break your bank!"

"But what if you need to run a friend to the hospital on that empty tank?" Sam countered as she looked up from her work. "Wouldn't that be worth it?"

The Colonel didn't have a reply to that. He just stood there, eyes unfocused, thinking it over. Colonel Davidson, however, did have a reply. "I see your point, Sam, really I do, but I can't risk the lives of this crew. If we get stranded out here and the Ori find us, what happens then? The _Daedalus_ is due back in the Milky Way in a few days…"

"**If** they manage to repair their systems," Gabi interrupted.

"If we can just get close enough to get a message to Earth before they get here, they can either divert to us directly, or pick up the supplies we need then come help us," Davidson finished.

"There's more to this than that," Colonel Viride said as his eyes focused on the room around him.

"How so?" Gabi asked.

"Marcus just updated me on the Colonials' history," the Colonel replied.

"How?" Davidson asked.

"These," the Colonel replied as he handed Davidson the safety glasses he was always wearing.

Davidson slipped them onto his head and felt the pinch as something broke the skin on his head and dug into the flesh near his temple. A small line of text scrolled across the clear lenses of the ballistic glasses before a HUD popped up before Davidson's eyes and started running a scan on the area and the people within in the room. Names and ranks popped up beside faces and a map of the ship appeared in one corner with an arrow icon indicating Davidson and the direction he was facing. If he turned, so did the arrow.

"What are these?" Davidson asked with a sense of amazement.

"A modified version of the SGC's VATS that incorporates a short-range audio-video communicator, a GPS system, and tracking telemetry for keeping track of teammates and high priority targets," Gabi replied as she pressed a button on the side of the frame and a connection was established with Professor Howard aboard _Colonial One_.

"What's 'VATS'?" Davidson asked.

"The SGC's Virtually Assisted Targeting System," Sam replied. "It's a recent development that hasn't left the labs on the Beta Site yet. I'm surprised that you've not only gotten your hands on a pair, but that you've also modified them so quickly."

"More like forty pairs, actually," Gabi replied, "and I left my designs with General Landry before we left for the Lucian Alliance lab world we were stranded on, so the Beta Site should have them by now. With any luck, the IOA will pull their heads out of their asses and fund their production so that our boys in uniform can stop dying needless deaths because they walked into an ambush."

"_Colonel,"_ Professor Howard said with a polite nod.

"Professor," Davidson replied in kind. "What's the situation over there?"

"_I just got done translating part of their religious texts, the Sacred Scrolls as they call them."_

"And?" Davidson asked as Gabi pushed a few buttons on her tablet and Marcus' voice was emitted from it for all to hear.

"_According to this and from what I've figured out from my talks with the President… the Colonial Fleet is currently actively seeking the location of Earth."_

"To what end?" Davidson asked.

"_Their texts say that there were twelve tribes of Humanity that lived with their gods on Kobol, their homeworld. The tribes were never openly hostile until the twelve came together and created a cybernetic race designed to be their slaves…"_

"I thought this was ancient history," Davidson interrupted.

"_The Colonials have a saying. 'This has all happened before.' It's their equivalent to 'History is doomed to repeat itself,' and for them it's the truth. These original Twelve Tribes created a cybernetic race that rebelled against them until they were advanced enough that they made robots that look like Humans. After that, they became the 'Thirteenth Tribe' and were allowed to live with the Twelve Tribes, but were never really seen as equal. Sometime later, the early Colonials developed their FTL drives and the Thirteenth Tribe set out to find their own place in the stars. Nearly a thousand years later, one of the Thirteeners returned to Kobol and passed on a map of the night sky on a planet called 'Earth'."_

"Earth?" Davidson asked. "There are no robots on Earth."

"He's getting there, trust me," Colonel Viride said.

"_The map of the night sky they showed the other tribes was unique in that it showed all twelve of the constellations for the Olympian Pantheon of Gods. Zeus, Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite… the selfsame constellations that are all visible from Earth during the night."_

"So there **are** robots on Earth?" Gabi pressed.

"_There used to be,"_ Marcus replied as he set the scrolls down and picked up a tablet computer, only Davidson able to see the act. The other only had access to his voice. _"According to what I can dig up on that timeframe from what I have available to me, that's around the same time that the Goa'uld first showed up on Earth. I think that the Thirteenth Tribe might have been on Earth for a short time before the Goa'uld showed up. Now, if the Thirteenth Tribe all appeared Human, then they could walk amongst us without fear of persecution, and I think they used that to their advantage. They… might have been the ones to lead the rebellion against Ra, but I don't have any definitive information on it._

"_My other theory is that they could've been detected by the Goa'uld sensors as not being true organics in nature and eliminated or studied. I need to do more research before I can say for sure, but I have no internet access in space. That, and I need to ask an expert on this. There's also a very strong possibility that the Asgard might have found these guys on Earth and gotten rid of them. Like I said, there's not enough information for me to do anything other than speculate."_

"What does this mean for us?" Davidson asked.

"_It means that the Colonials are very interested in finding Earth, but not because they mean us harm."_

"They're running from one robotic race to another?" Sam asked. "Doesn't it make more sense that the Thirteenth Tribe would side with the Cylons?"

"That's debatable," Colonel Viride argued. "They could be the perfect mediators. If the Thirteenth Tribe could live in an uneasy peace with their creators, than the Cylons might be talked out of their quest for genocide. Tell them the best part,' he added.

"_I managed to decipher part of the text that even the most devout follow of the Colonial religion can't,"_ Marcus said.

"How did you manage that?" Davidson asked.

"_It's written in Ancient, not Kobolian. The Colonials have no clue that the Thirteenth Tribe was a race of robots. They think that they all left Kobol when the Gods were angered at them and caused a natural disaster that forced them to flee and colonize the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. The truth is, the Thirteen Tribe was divided into two groups; those that wanted to destroy their creators, and those that just wanted to be left alone. Those that wanted to be left alone went to Earth… the others nuked Kobol until it was a radioactive wasteland."_

"Shit," Gabi swore. "I got Baltar talking while we were taking that Cylon apart. He told me that there are Human-form Cylon infiltrator models running around the Colonial Fleet trying to sabotage their ships. Before they ran into us, one of them detonated a suicide vest and crippled one of their ships right when the Cylons attacked. That ship was then captured and destroyed by the Cylons. Commander Adama is keeping it as hushed up as he can, but Baltar says that they know for a fact that there are seven Human-form models."

"Models?" Sam asked.

"Like an infinite set of twins," Gabi explained. "Each is a genetic clone of the next within their line, but they apparently have their own identity and sense of self-being."

"And you're just now telling us this?!" Davidson exclaimed.

"It's in my report," Gabi replied defensively.

"I haven't had a chance to read it yet," Davidson admitted as he removed the VATS glasses and handed them back to Colonel Viride.

"So… about that run to the grocery store," Sam said as she pushed the tray back into its slot.

"Suggestions," Davidson asked in a tone nearing exhaustion.

Gabi let out a hiss as she thought it over. Colonel Viride came right out and started talking. "It's not that I don't like the idea of helping them, it's that I don't like the strain we're putting on the _Odyssey_. If we take the Colonial Fleet with us and just beam everything into _Galactica_'s hangar bays, we could do this without any problem."

"We also really need the points," Gabi added. "If we help them get their food supplies replenished, it might just be enough of a bargaining chip to get them to give us full answers without any bullshit, and right now, we need to know what's going on. We're lying about where we're from…"

"And for good reason," Colonel Viride interrupted.

"… and that doesn't exactly build trust, but I do see your point. However, if we get them food, there's trust gained. We need to be in the Commander's inner circle if we're going to get the answers we need."

"Assaulting one of their men doesn't help with that," Davidson pointed out.

"He said something about following us to Earth to destroy it and I kind of freaked out. I realize now he was probably talking about the Cylons following **them** to Earth and destroying us, but it still doesn't explain who he was talking to when he said it. I stand by ordering his psych evaluation."

"Back to the point then, shall we?" Colonel Viride asked. "There's still the matter of how to do this. If we take _Galactica_ with us, we can do this in the set timeframe without risking the _Odyssey_, but it raises the question of whether we're willing to show off the beaming tech. If we do, we get it done. If we don't, we risk getting attacked by the Lucian Alliance and they're sure to send out search parties to see if they can find the thieves, and, if they do find us, they'll attack in force because the Colonial Fleet is so large and it'll be us and the _Galactica_ versus a fleet of Ha'tak and we all know that one Ha'tak could destroy this entire fleet. We also know that the _Odyssey_ won't be able to fight them off, not without them seeing that we're doing all the work. If they see that, they'll know that the rest of the fleet is vulnerable and they'll attack it. To make matters worse, they'll probably try to steal the _Odyssey_ again."

"So we have to show off the beam if we want this to work," Davidson summarized. "I want answers, answers they're not giving us, and this benefits us. I'll allow it, but only if we can be in and out before the Alliance has a chance to pick up any of the ships in the fleet. If they detect us on long range sensors, they'll investigate. If they see us coming, they'll call for help and organize a defense. We have to get there without being seen and get out before we can be detected."

"We also have to take on their Glider ranks," Gabi added. "It's a farming world, but they have a small armada of Death Gliders. Luckily we have an entire Battlestar full of Vipers."

"They don't stand a chance against a Death Glider and you know it," Sam countered.

"Not in a dogfight, but that's not what we'll be using them for. Look, Death Gliders are slow and heavily armored, but they're easy targets. Vipers are fast, maneuverable, and their pilots are well trained. The Lucian Alliance doesn't train their pilots any better than the Goa'uld do, that's why we have the best fighters in the galaxy. What they lack in firepower, the Vipers make up for in combat experience. I'll debrief their pilots on how to handle the Gliders, so don't worry about that," Gabi explained. "That, and I was supposed to go over with Daniel so…"

"What about the Colonial Fleet?" Davidson asked.

"If you can talk the Commander into giving us the algorithms they use to coordinate their FTL jumps, I might be able to do something about that," Sam replied.

"Like what?" Colonel Viride asked.

"**If** I'm right about how their drives work, the main limiting factor is their navigation computers. They can only calculate so much before it becomes inaccurate. We had the same problem with our earliest drafts of a hyperdrive until the Asgard showed us what we were doing wrong. Now, I know that the Colonial FTL drive isn't new, but I also know that their computers leave a lot to be desired. Their sensors capabilities and communications equipment tell me a lot about their tech base, and I'm not all that impressed… except for with their FTL drive."

"You want to look at their FTL drive and see if you can improve it?" Davidson asked. Sam gave a determined nod and Davidson sighed. "I'll see if Commander Adama's willing to let you look at what they've got, but what about the _Odyssey_? I thought you said the dampeners were shot."

"That's what she's here for," Sam said as she turned to Gabi. "I rigged the communications grid to emit a constant sub-space field."

"Why? Won't that give away our position?" Colonel Mitchell asked as he entered the room and leaned on the doorframe. "I know the Colonials can't pick it up, but can't the Ori?"

"It's not a signal," Sam explained. "It's just a field of energy to wrap around the ship."

"Why?" Davidson asked. "We need them to transmit a message, not a field."

"External inertial dampeners work differently than the internal dampeners, but are tied into the same system," Sam began.

"Oh, I get it!" Gabi said as she walked over to the nearest terminal and started typing. "You want to create an artificial cushion of stable space around the _Odyssey_ to reduce the strain on the dampeners. If we can stop the bulk of the inertial energy before it hits the ship…"

"Then the external dampeners are under less strain to hold the hull together…"

"The capacitors you installed will last longer before being depleted…

"And the failsafes won't kick in to force us to drop out of hyperspace, which will increase our FTL durability by approximately three-hundred percent of their current functionality level."

"You lost me at 'Oh, I get it!'," Cam said with a confused look on his face.

"They're going to use the damaged communications grid to enhance the damaged inertial dampening system. Since neither of the systems will function properly on their own, we might as well get the more vital of the two working nearer its peak. The specifics of how they're going to do it are pretty much irrelevant. All you need to take away from this is that we'll be able to stay in hyperspace about three times longer before the dampeners need to recharge. Other than that, they lost me when they started finishing each other's sentences," Colonel Viride said while applying pressure to the bridge of his nose. "You and Sam are worse than you and Derek. At least you add to each other instead of finishing the other person's sentence."

"Carry on then," Davidson said before leaving the room, Colonel Viride following behind him.

"How are we holding up?" the Italian Colonel asked his senior officer.

The supposed-Italian in his heritage showed through in his light brown hair with a reddish tent. If he grew it out, it would be an auburn shade, but, because he kept it short, his hair appeared darker, almost fully brown. His eyes were green with a brilliance to them that left one wondering if they'd glow in the dark. He was sturdily built and obviously strong, though his appearance was deceiving. It was impossible to know his true strength, and his bearing said that that was the way he wanted it. Clearly his training had been extensive, and the fact that Ian was almost ready to consider this assassin-turned-soldier a friend was disturbing.

"I ordered the Bridge crew involved in combat to take a ten hour break and let their stand-ins do their jobs. Once they're well rested, I'll feel a lot better," Davidson replied.

"Not had much experience with the night crew?" Colonel Viride asked.

"My night shift Executive Officer manages the team while I'm asleep. She's a stubborn woman set in her ways, but we share all the same morals so I have no issue with her. Her I trust, but I've never personally worked with these men. I've met them, interviewed them, but never tested them in the fires of combat. They usually just run the ship during extended hyperspace jumps and when they're needed. They're the secondary crew for a reason, but not because they aren't trained."

"They've never seen combat?"

"Not from the Bridge while working the controls. I had them stand in and see how it's done when we knew we were going into an engagement one time, but that was it. I just never saw the point in two crews since the ship is on autopilot during their usual operating hours. Now I'm glad they're here."

"How are our stick-jocks?"

"We haven't lost a bird yet, but that's only because our 302s can outrun the Cylon Raiders without reaching sixty percent of their maximum speed, and their armor is thick enough to take an entire salvo from a Cylon fighter craft's main cannon. Two of our birds are torn up. They're flyable, but they're not combat worthy. The repair crews are working on them, as well as the hangar door, but that's trinium that we might need for hull repairs later if the Cylons keep jumping through our shield like that."

"Colonel, do you know the basics of how your shields work?" Colonel Viride asked.

"I know that it protects my ship for a limited amount of time, and I know that some enemies are faster at getting through them than others are," Colonel Davidson admitted begrudgingly.

"There are emitters strategically placed across the hull of the _Odyssey_. These emitters project a solidified field of plasma that either intercepts kinetic energy weapons like what we and the Colonials use and vaporizes them before they can touch the hull, or it interacts with the naturally generated electromagnetic field that every plasma bolt has and destabilizes the bolt so that it loses its lethality before it can strike the ship. If those emitters are damaged, the barrier is strained."

"I've seen as much."

"Have you heard of the _Orion_ and the type of shield it had?"

"I have."

"We need to adjust the _Odyssey_'s emitters so that the bubble that surrounds us collapses down until it hugs the hull like a second layer of armor. If we do this, then their fighters won't be able to make it past our shield without crashing into either it or the hull, and the hull is far stronger than the hangar bay doors so don't worry too much about hull breaches."

"Why aren't our shields already set to do that?" Davidson asked.

"Because we've never had to worry about fighters jumping past our defenses until now," Colonel Viride replied. "Plasma rounds, even with the shield set to what it is, can and will still damage the hull. Every time you get hit by the Ori, you can feel the ship shake even though your shields are still up. That's because the shield doesn't stop everything; it's not omnipotent. The beam weapon that destroyed the _Prometheus_ without ever taking its shield down is further proof of that fact. Imagine taking on the Ori with your shield collapsed down to the hull. That distance between the shield and armor allows the energy to spread-out and disperse before actually hitting the ship. It's like a pillow between you and a Kevlar vest. It stops the impact from hurting as much, even though the vest is what really stops the bullet. Without that pillow, without that gap, each hit has the possibility to break one of your ribs if it hits you just right."

"That's actually a very effective analogy," Davidson said in a tone of mild surprise.

"I've spent a lot of time around Squints. I've picked up a few things," Colonel Viride replied with a shrug.

"Squints?" Davidson asked.

"Because they're always squinting at something," Colonel Viride offered.

Davidson snapped his fingers much the same way Doctor McKay was rumored to and smiled at his fellow Colonel. "Booth off of Bones."

"The very same," Colonel Viride replied with a smile of his own.


	11. Blood Harvest

Chapter 10

Blood Harvest

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Samsara (Lunar Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [two days later]*

The _Odyssey_ dropped out of hyperspace and slipped off of even the most advanced radar screens as her cloaking field surrounded her. Moving at a reasonable speed, the _Odyssey_ rounded the third moon of the Lucian Alliance farm world and started an active sensors sweep.

"The Intel's good, sir," Marks reported. "There's a sizeable Death Glider presence in atmosphere and in orbit. Between _Galactica_'s flak cannons and the Colonials' combat experience, this will be a short fight."

"And the prize?" Colonel Davidson asked.

"They've already boxed it up and placed it on the tarmac. It looks like the harvest was good this season," Sam replied from her place in the back of the Bridge. "By my calculations, there's enough food here to not only make up for what was lost during the Cylon raid, but also to supplement that by an additional month or two of well rationed supplies."

"We'll have to send a ground team to tag the crates so we can beam them out," Marks added.

"Why?" Davidson asked.

"Because I can't get a beaming lock," Marks replied.

"But Gabi fixed the sensors," Sam said as she walked to the front of the Bridge to look over Marks' shoulder. "Shit," she swore.

"What's wrong?" Davidson asked.

"They've got a jammer," Marks replied as he noticed what Sam was looking at.

"If we take it out, we can just beam the food up. If we don't, we have to tag each individual crate and beam it out," Sam added.

"Then we need to get a ground team ready," Davidson said matter-of-factly.

"Sir, we don't want them to know we're coming until we're ready to start the assault. If we fail to get the jammer offline and the food beamed up before they get a message off world, we're screwed. Can I recommend we send in a team that knows how to do a stealth insertion?" Sam asked.

"Stealth insertion?" Marks asked skeptically.

"We don't have any ninjas onboard, unfortunately," Cam said with a shake of his head.

"No," Colonel Viride said, his voice making Mitchell jump as the man stepped out of the shadows directly behind him, "but you do have the next best thing."

"SG-1 can handle this, Colonel," Cam 'assured' him.

"SG-1 is a team composed of Spec Ops personnel, civilians, and aliens. I mean no offense, Colonel, but your team is a frontline assault oriented SOP. The key to this whole thing is keeping them from screaming, or making sure that no one hears them when they do. You have two aliens, only one of which is actually military trained, a civilian, a scientist, and a former pilot. I'm not questioning your combat capabilities, but I have a team of Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, ASIS Agents, and more all of whom were trained by the world's premier Black Ops personnel with an in-and-out without detection SOP. For now, we're sitting in your barracks waiting for the next boarding attempt, but that's what your Marines are for. This is what we do best, so let us do it."

"And I mean no offense to you, but I've never even heard of you or anyone on your team before. I'm still not entirely convinced you're SGC," Mitchell countered.

"You can question my loyalty to this crew all you want, Lieutenant-Colonel, but do not **ever** question my loyalty to Earth and her people," Colonel Viride said in a low tone that hinted at darker implications. It was an unspoken threat, but it was also one of the most obvious threats ever made.

"He makes the better argument," Colonel Davidson said matter-of-factly.

"Colonel…" Cam tried to argue.

"I'm not having this argument, Colonel," Davidson cut him off. "SG-1 has a reputation for getting the job done, but not for getting it done quietly. Colonel Viride, get your men ready."

"They already are," the Colonel replied as he turned on his heel and walked away without ever making a sound.

"We have a reputation for getting it done…" Mitchell began.

"Colonel," Davidson warned.

"They don't have a reputation **at all**!"

"This conversation is over," Davidson said in a tone of finality.

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Galactica _(Combat Information Center)*

"This is frakking insane," Saul said. "Why did we let them go?"

"We can't stop them from leaving, Saul, it's not our place," Bill replied.

"And what if they don't come back?" Saul asked. "What if they fixed their ship and decided to leave us? What if the Cylons know that they're gone and attack us again? We can't take another beating like that and everyone's nav computers are set for the coordinates **they** gave us. What if that's the trap? What if a Cylon fleet is amassing on the other end and they were just tagging along to find out where our strengths are?"

"What if the coordinates are designed to make our ships fall apart in transit?" Laura added. "What if they drop us out of FTL inside of a star? What if they drop us out in orbit of a black hole? What if, Saul, they're telling the truth and there's food waiting for us on the other side of this jump? What if they really aren't Cylons? And, if they were planning on betraying us, why did they leave their people behind?"

Saul cast a look over his shoulder. "Part of the trap, I'm just not sure how," Saul said in a low tone.

Bill shook his head and let out a sigh. "They've had too many opportunities to stab us in the back," he said. "If this is a trap, it's far too elaborate. Who would willingly sacrifice seventeen ships just to get one good infiltrator? The first two could've been used for set up, I'll give you that. The second attack could help seal the deal, but five ships in one go? And then that group of ten. They had us dead to rights with that assault. Why didn't they trigger their trap then? No, these people aren't Cylons. I'm certain of that, but I have no idea who or what they are."

"They're from Avalon, Midgard, Terra… their homeworld has more names than Zeus has moons," Laura said.

"That's an exaggeration I presume?" Bill asked.

"I'm not even sure," Laura replied honestly. "Professor Howard mentioned Avalon, Terra, Midgard, Asgard, Alteran, Texas, Canada, New York, and a few other locations, but I have a hard time telling what refers to what. The fact that he won't tell me **their** name for their homeworld is strange. I'm not sure if it's that they don't trust us with their planet, or that he doesn't trust us with his home-colony."

"You think they have colonies?" Saul asked.

"Why wouldn't they? They have warships don't they? Why would they have warships and nothing to protect?"

"They have their homeworld," Bill countered. "The _Odyssey_ has proven herself a very capable ship, one that can take a beating far larger than a ship of her class should be able to. Either they're advanced to the point that the armor they put on that ship is cheap yet durable which supports a colonization theory, or their military force is so small that each ship has to be capable of taking on impossible odds which supports the single planet claim. I don't know enough about them to say either way, and I know for a fact that they won't answer a question aimed at gaining information on their military."

"Why not?" Laura asked.

"Imagine if our roles were reversed," Bill began. "If we found them drifting on the edge of Colonial space with enemies following behind them, do you really think we'd tell them what our military was capable of?"

"I see your point," Laura admitted.

"What about Doctor Baltar?" Saul asked.

"What about him?" Bill asked.

"What he said about them having a Cylon."

"I already knew about that. It's why I sent him over."

"What about their plan for a virus?" Laura asked.

"If they can make one, I say let them. Our computers aren't networked so they can't affect any of the ships in the fleet. If they can gain an additional edge over the Cylons, then so be it," Bill replied.

"Do you think it's possible?"

"They never had to live with the fear of the Cylons and what they can do to their computers, and they've already proven that they're more advanced than we are in that regard. Their computer technology now exceeds the best that we had before the first Cylon War, back when a computer was as thin as a sheet of paper and Holobands weren't a way for the Cylons to hack your brain," Saul replied. "If anything in this fleet can pull it off, it's their computers and Doctor Baltar's knowledge of Cylon codes."

"I'm surprised to hear that coming from you, Saul," Bill commented.

"I think they're growing on him," Laura agreed.

**Samsara Prime (Atmospheric Entry)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Starboard 302 Bay)*

To say the _Odyssey_ was moving slow would be inaccurate. The _Odyssey_ was currently entering the atmosphere of Samsara Prime at such a slow speed, that they were dangerously close to stalling and plummeting down to the surface, but it was needed. They didn't have a cloak-equipped shuttle to land the ground team, so they were doing it the only way they could. With the jammer online, beaming was out of the equation, so, instead, the _Odyssey_ came down close enough to the surface that they were hovering mere inches above the tops of the tallest trees. Only with Marks at the helm would Colonel Davidson have even considered such a crazy stunt.

"How do you plan on surviving the fall?" Cameron asked the Colonel who was outfitted in all black gear.

The armor they wore wasn't the standard issue for the SGC. It was sleek, formfitting, and had a strange hexagonal pattern to its skin. There was a cloth hood with a similar pattern that came out of the neck of the metal to cover their heads, gloves over the hands, and even their boots were made of the same material. Whatever purpose the pattern served, Cameron wasn't privy to it.

Each of the members of the Colonel's team was wearing similar armor, but with a few customizations. One of them, a female, wore armor that was thinner than everyone else's while another, a male, wore armor that was thicker by far and had a more mid-evil look to the shoulder guards and gauntlets. They had different weapons too. The woman with nothing but cloth over her skin had a weapon that looked like an AA-12 and nothing else. The woman with thin armor had a large sniper rifle. The man in thick armor had a large cannon in his hands. The Colonel's XO had a simple shotgun. The Colonel himself had a pair of pistols on his hips and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back with a bow attached and several throwing knives strapped to his forearms. Mitchell eyed that with a sense of curiosity.

"What's with the bow?" he asked.

"It was a gag-gift," Oliver replied in an annoyed tone. "The bow was the first weapon I was ever trained to use when I was a kid, then, last year, Tommy figured out it was my birthday. Next thing you know, they've made me a bow. Why carry it into combat? It's my heavy weapon and the only thing I have right now with my rifle being… indisposed of."

"What does that mean?"

"Assault rifles make good face-shields when the Ori are shooting energy weapons at your head and you don't feel like dying," the Colonel said with a smirk before pulling a helmet over his head and turning to his team. "Once we break the tree line we're visible to their sentries. Keep low, move slow, and let your gear adjust to your surroundings. Keep it silent, keep it clean, stay alive," the Colonel ordered his men. The five of them, three females and two additional males, were currently checking their equipment which was complete with sound suppressors judging by the way that none of them made a sound when their metal boots hit the deck. That was definitely not standard issue SG gear. "Alright, Jack. You ready to play ball?"

The woman wearing nothing more than a layer of cloth over her flesh with hair so short it didn't really exist cracked her knuckles, her fingers no longer wrapped up despite only having two days to heal, and popped her neck before running towards the opening to the outside world at a dead sprint. She jumped out of the ship and spread her arms wide as she did a swan dive over the edge. The Colonel held up five fingers and counted down before motioning forward and the next person duplicated the same suicidal feat. Every five seconds there was a jump until the Colonel himself joined them and Cam ran over to the edge to see what the hell was going on. He was rather surprised to see the Colonel drop like a rock until he was about half way down at which point he slowed down until his feet touched the ground with the ease of simply walking down a flight of stairs.

"What the hell?" Cam asked no one in particular.

"The first one to have jumped is Jack," Sam said from behind him. "She's over three-hundred years old."

"How is that possible?" Cam asked.

"She is Subject Zero," Teal'c replied in his monotone way of explaining things.

"So she's the 'Perfect Host'?" Cam asked as he looked back at the ground only to find the team had already disappeared.

"We don't know," Sam replied with a shrug as she started walking towards the elevator. "She won't let anyone touch her but the one doctor she trusts."

"And who would that be?"

"The one who got assigned to the Zeta Site."

"The Zeta Site?" Cam asked as the elevator doors closed before them. "Why do I keep hearing that?"

**Samsara Prime (Surface)**

*Insertion Zone (Three Miles North of Target)*

The _Odyssey_ kicked up a hot breeze as her atmospheric maneuvering thrusters fired in tandem to renew the fight against gravity as the ship broke for orbit at a far faster rate than it had entered. The wind died down, the leaves blowing across the ground the only noise created by the small ship, and the Colonel took stock of his surroundings before looking down at his hands. Already the adaptive camouflage system was turning the black cloths and metals that composed their armor a mixture of greens, browns, oranges, and yellows to better blend in with the autumn-like environment for this planet's current seasonal cycle.

"Alpha calls for comms check," Colonel Viride said as he hit his radio. The radio was built into the VATS system they all wore in combat and secured with advanced encryption algorithms to be sure no one could break it. Even SG teams would be hard pressed to hack their comms channels.

"_Kappa hears and answers,"_ Lieutenant-Colonel Jesse Sampson, Colonel Viride's Executive Officer, replied.

"_Lambda answers,"_ Lieutenant Cassidy Doyle replied.

"_Sigma answers,"_ Lieutenant Kimimaro Amani replied.

"_Omega answers,"_ Major Tomus Higgins replied.

"_Zero still thinks that this only gets stupider every time you make us do it,"_ Jacqueline Nils said as she stalked off into the woods.

"Stick with the team, Zero," the Colonel ordered.

"_Let's see you catch six people as they fall from a spaceship and not need to take a piss,"_ Zero replied.

"Make it quick," the Colonel sighed.

Walking over to him, Kappa said, "I'm getting concerned about her."

"That's one way of putting it," Lambda said as she and Sigma walked over with Omega.

"She should have a few more days of good health before we have to start worrying about her. I'm actually more concerned about her mental condition. If she gets tired of being cooped up, what happens to the _Odyssey_?" Omega asked.

"I know," Alpha agreed with a nod. "If her condition goes critical while we're on assignment, at least she won't tear the _Odyssey_ apart in the process. If she goes critical while we're on board… let's just hope Gabi still has that kill switch."

"Or a Zat," Omega said sternly. "Stunning her would be better than detonating a bomb in her head."

"There's a bomb in someone's head?" Zero asked as she walked over to join them. "Sweet! When does it go 'boom'?"

"When I tell it to," Alpha replied as he drew one of his pistols and started walking.

"When is that going to happen?" Zero persisted.

"If we're lucky, it never will."

"What's the point of putting a bomb in someone's head if you're not going to use it?"

"Insurance."

"That's cold, even for you," Zero said as she drew her shotgun and double checked her ammo belt.

"If you knew my ex, you would be singing an entirely different song altogether," Alpha replied as they began their three mile march.

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Galactica _(War Room)*

"So what **is** the plan of attack?" Saul asked.

"The _Odyssey_ went ahead to scout out the area and gain the exact details we need to plan out the assault itself, but I do have certain information for your pilots that they need to know," Gabi replied as she set her backpack on the table in the center of the room and started pulling out equipment. It took her a minute or two to get the system set up, but, once she did, the lights in the room flickered and dimmed before stabilizing again. "Sorry about that," she said as she reworked the wires and pulled a strange looking object from her bag. It was about the size of a standard footlocker with two large, bulbous spheres at either end and a slimmer shape at its core.

"What is that?" Saul asked.

"A power generator," the short woman replied.

With a soft hum of compliance, the generator came to life as blue lights on its spheres lit up. The equipment arrayed on the table also began to hum before there was a soft blue light that filled the room. A second later the center piece lit up and shot a column of light into the air, the four objects forming a square around it were quick to follow. Another second passed and the columns of light manifested into a three-dimensional holographic image of a planet with four moons.

"This," Gabi said as she pointed to the gas giant, "is Samsara, and this," she added as she pointed at the second largest moon orbiting the planet, "is Samsara Prime. The _Odyssey_ would've dropped out in orbit of Samsara Minor, the smallest of the gas giant's moons and the closest planetary body to Samara. Due to the set-up of this particular system, Samsara Minor actually orbits Samsara Prime more than it does Samsara itself. I mention this solely because the gravitational fields being kicked out by the pair of moons combined with the planet itself are rather severe. This does, however, play to our advantage."

"How so?" Bill asked.

"Samsara itself is super active enough to mask even the most advanced sensors grids in the galaxy. If we hide the civilian fleet within the inner edge of ionosphere, they'll be completely invisible to even the _Odyssey_'s sensors. However, that also means that **they** won't be able to see anyone either, even each other. It's a sort of gamble to put them there, but it's better than dragging them into the battle, and, if we space them properly with Raptors patrolling the area with Active DRADIS sweeps, we should be able to avoid any collisions."

"I thought you said their fighter presence would be minimal," Lee Adama countered as he walked into the room with the Colonial President and Professor Howard in tow.

"By **our** standards, yes," Gabi replied. "However, what you fail to realize is that these guys are advanced. The Lucian Alliance holds all the same technology as the Goa'uld Empire and the Free Jaffa Nation. Before you interrupt," she quickly added when Saul opened his mouth, "I know that those names mean nothing to you, but I figured you should know the names of our enemies since we know the name of yours. Now, to put it simply, a single fighter making it past _Galactica_ could destroy a civilian ship with one well aimed shot, and not because their missiles are as strong as ours. They… actually don't even use missiles."

"Kinetic Energy Weapons?" Bill asked.

"Projected plasma bolts," Gabi replied.

"Directed energy weapons?" Laura asked in disbelief.

"Directed **plasma** weapons," Gabi corrected. "I know that there's not much of a difference to you, but to us there is. The Ori have projected energy weapons that can destroy a Lucian Alliance ship in one hit. The Lucian Alliance has plasma cannons that can't even begin to scratch an Ori Mothership. Again, I know that those names don't mean much to you, but I can explain if you give me time."

"How much time?" Saul asked.

"That depends on how many questions you have," Marcus replied truthfully.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Minos (Outside Planetary Gravitational Field)**

*_Relentless Flame_ (Combat Information Center)*

The _Relentless Flame_ sat in silence as it waited for the prime opportunity to strike. She was a hunter, a wolf amongst sheep, and she had been patient. That time was finally here. Her target dropped out of hyperspace, a massive window forming to allow the massive bulk of the ship generating it to shift back into normal space. The large, triangular-shaped vessel was an experiment, the next step in the evolution of Ba'al's fleet. To say that the crew of the _Flame_ wanted it destroyed was inaccurate, but the destruction of such a vessel would be far easier than its theft… unless it was assaulted while unfinished.

The four, oversized engines at the rear of the small ship flared to life as protons and antiprotons were sent colliding into one another, and the _Flame_ shot forward at the speeds of one of the Tau'ri's thrice cursed fighter craft. It approached its target from behind with lethal intent and let loose with two of its plasma bomb emitters. One bomb struck the area that the ship's primary power plant was housed in, the heat of the plasma bypassing the unshielded hull and slicing through the main power cords that sent precious energy to the ship's primary systems, a secondary explosion breaching the reactor, but not destroying it. It was blind luck that the reactor didn't explode, but they had more pressing matters to attend to as they now had exactly thirty seconds before the secondary power systems came online and compensated for the loss of power.

The second plasma bomb struck the ship just aft of where the Bridge tower stuck out of the otherwise flat and featureless plane that is the armored hull. The explosion caused minimal damage to the Bridge itself, but did serve the purpose of causing the fire control systems to activate and force the crew to cover their faces to avoid the fire suppressant foam now raining down on them. That bought them an extra ten seconds.

The _Flame_ roared past the far larger ship and slammed on the breaks. The small ship went from moving faster than a fighter to damn-near stopping completely before its maneuvering thrusters fired. The micro maneuvering thrusters on the bottom of the nose of the small craft fired down to force the nose up while the maneuvering thrusters on the back of the ship near the engines fired up to force the tail down. The resulting maneuver flipped the small ship over before its main engines flared to life again and the ship was shooting forward at a rapid speed once more, the pilot taking the craft through a simple barrel roll to correct their stance relative to their target.

As the _Flame_ made another run on the far larger ship, its cloaking field was deactivated as the power in the system was diverted to the shields and weapons. Six more plasma bomb projectors powered up before the _Flame_ reached the tip of its target's bow. The resulting bombing run left craters, blast marks, and gouges in the armor as the small ship made for the Bridge again. As it did, the hatch on the bottom opened and a group of six figures jumped out, their momentum carrying them towards the breach in the armor just behind the Bridge.

The _Flame_ continued its journey through space and pulled another full halt followed by a flip and brought its point defenses online. As the fighters on the planet swarmed into space like a pack of angry insects, the small ship that had enough speed to outrun them turned towards their advance and gunned its engines. Laser cannons mounted on the hull of the ship spun into position before letting loose with their hyper-lethal precision beams. A bust of energy traveling at the speed of light was impossible to dodge and each blast had enough energy to melt through the target's hull and breach their reactor. As the fighters returned fire, their plasma rounds were harmlessly absorbed by the shield of the small ship which soon flew out the other end of their formation, a large hole in their ranks where its rapid flight had taken the small ship directly through the thickest part of the fighter swarm.

Another hard stop followed by a flip and the _Flame_ pounced on the fighter group's rear flank and gave chase, the hunted now, once again, the hunter. The last of the fighters launched from the surface fell to the small ship's main anti-fighter guns, the razor thin red beams of light more than enough to destroy a simple Death Glider. That victory, however, was short lived. The Death Gliders were immediately followed by a pair of Ha'tak pulling out of their place in orbit to engage the small craft. One of them headed for the ship that was Ba'al's bid for galactic dominance. The other approached the _Flame_ with its plasma cannons blazing.

Giant globs of plasmatic energy flew past the forward viewport as the pilot of the small ship punched the accelerator and aimed the nose of the _Flame_ directly at the opposing Ha'tak. The _Flame_ shot forward into the field of incoming fire and returned as much as it gave. The design of a Goa'uld Ha'tak was horribly primitive in terms of ship-to-ship combat, but still had some pretty advanced technology. However, the massive troop carriers were essentially just tools for terror, not weapons of war. The _Flame_ was different. Its sole purpose was to burn its enemies until nothing was left but ashes in the solar winds. As such, the Ha'tak had only a third of its primary cannons aimed at the small, highly maneuverable ship that dodged most of the fire aimed at it while the _Flame_ had its full complement aimed at the large, slow form of the Ha'tak. As an added advantage, the _Flame_ had more than just plasma bombs and anti-fighter lasers for combat.

The _Flame_ closed ranks with the Ha'tak and pulled up just before their shields had the chance to touch. At point blank range, the gunner squeezed his triggers and fired off a full barrage of plasma bombs, the high impact energy shells slammed into the Ha'tak's shield and caused the entire bubble to ripple and flare. Flying 'up' the surface of the pyramid's shield envelope, the _Flame_ flew above its target, came to a hard stop, turned on a dime, and fired off a full barrage from all of the small ship's weapons systems save the anti-fighter laser cannons.

The orange bubble that surrounded the ship flared with every impact as the shields were stressed to the point of breaking. If one were to look out of a window on the Goa'uld-designed ship, the shield would appear as if someone had set fire to the sky itself. It would have been a short look, however, as the bubble burst under the sustained bombardment before a small, cylindrical shape fired out of a third port on the small ship's nose and slammed into their hull, the rod of solid Titanium bypassing the armor and flying out the other end. The reactor of the Ha'tak, now critically breached, overloaded and consumed the ship in a flash of light and high energy radiation.

"_We've taken the command center. Get the _Flame_ into the hangar and we will return to the Mimner with news of our victory,"_ the pilot's Commanding Officer ordered over the radio.

"En route now," the pilot replied as he pushed the engines to the red line.

The other Ha'tak, currently hammering away at the now stolen vessel's raised shield, hovered in place above the large craft and sent troops in via the ring platforms that were bound to be present throughout the ship. The large ship, unnamed as is the custom of the Goa'uld, fired up its engines and pushed forward past its assailant. The Ha'tak turned its attention to the _Flame_, but the small ship was already zipping past it faster than the ship could be targeted. The _Flame_ swooped up under the larger vessel and force-docked with the ship by blowing open its hangar bay and coming to a rest in the massive fighter bay that was, thankfully, still empty of fighters.

With an audible tearing sound, the massive ship tore open a rift in the very fabric of space and disappeared into the realm of subspace. Behind them in orbit, the commander of the Ha'tak was left to dread the call he was scheduled to make. He had to tell his Lord Ba'al that the greatest vessel in his new fleet had just been stolen, and by an unknown party at that.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Samsara Prime (Surface)**

*Overseer's Palace (Exterior)*

"And the satellite they found was larger than the tallest building on Samsara?" Lieutenant Amani mused as they stood before the tallest building they had ever seen on a planet other than Earth herself.

"That makes their satellite the size of the Empire State Building," Lieutenant-Colonel Sampson agreed in a tone of awe.

"The communications array is at the top of the tower and the generator feeding power to the jammer is below ground. We'll split up now and plant remote detonation charges. Rendezvous back here when you're done. If you're found, keep it quiet," Colonel Viride ordered as the six of them crouched in the dense brush just beyond the outskirts of the building that housed the soldiers and other Lucian Alliance officials who kept the local farmers oppressed through fear and violence.

"Who's going after what?" Jack asked.

"You're with me…" Alpha began.

"That goes without saying," Zero huffed.

"Lambda, you're with us. We'll head to the top of the tower and cut their vocal cords. Kappa, you take Sigma and Omega and wash the dirt out of our eyes," Alpha finished.

"Easy enough," Jesse said as the Colonel's team darted across the gap between their hiding spot and the target building. "Omega, you got the C4?"

"No, that's Sigma's job this time," Tommy replied.

"If you have to ask, I'll be insulted," Kimi added before the question could be asked.

"Then let's move," the XO said as the three of them slipped into the building unseen. Once inside, the colors of their armor began to shift again as a new pattern was created. The vibrant colors of autumn were replaced by the dull gray that coated the walls, floor, and ceiling. To say that this building had a drab interior was insulting to drab interiors everywhere. This was so bad it hurt Jesse's eyes just standing there looking at it. "You did pack something other than a sniper rifle, right?" Jesse asked.

"You could say that," Kimi replied as she took up her customary position at the rear of the formation, a strange looking weapon in her hands.

"We should get moving," Tommy insisted. "They're already ahead of us."

"They also have more ground to cover," Jesse countered as he peaked around a corner. "Elevator. Yes or no?"

"Elevator?" Kimi asked. "Don't you mean ring platform?"

"Same concept," the Lieutenant-Colonel countered as they carefully made their way down the hall that led to the quickest way to the lower levels.

"It's a bit too noticeable for my liking," Tommy said.

"It's also likely heavily guarded at the other end," Kimi added. "I'll go first."

"Radio us your findings," Jesse agreed as he and Omega took up defensive positions and Sigma stepped into the circle on the floor. There was a pulse of energy and a shimmer of light as the woman activated her Sodan Cloaking Device and disappeared completely. A moment later the rings activated and she was whisked away in a flash of light.

*Overseer's Palace (Sub-Levels)*

The rings deposited her into darkness, but her VATS system was already in night vision mode by the time the first ring fell back into the floor. She was standing on top of the fifth ring and jumping through the doorframe before the second fell, her hands grabbing the upper rim of the doorframe. With a heave and a twist she brought her body through the doorframe as the fourth ring fell and planted her feet on the wall just above her hands. The blast from the automated staff cannon emplacement slammed into the wall behind the rings as the fifth ring fell into the ground and Kimi activated her magnetic grappling boots, a short prayer going out to Athena that this would work.

As her Matron Lady would have it, the wall she was now standing on was ferromagnetic. That was the good news. The bad news was that the turret was most likely tied into a silent alarm system. That suspicion was confirmed when the lights in the room came on all at once and people started scrambling in with weapons drawn. They made a beeline for the ring platform and set up a defensive perimeter, but there was no threat coming from the small room, not anymore. Sigma was already on the move.

She jogged across the wall, always making sure that one foot was touching the surface to keep her attached to the walls and tilted her body against the pull of gravity. She reached the corner where two of the walls met each other and the ceiling and placed her back against the roof of the power distribution room for support before drawing the butt of her rifle, attaching the barrel, and spinning the silencer into place. There was a magnet in her back to hold the pieces of her rifle to her body without the need for straps. She used this to hold her back to the ceiling for extra support. Now she was ready.

"Activate the ring platform, but don't send anyone down," Kimi ordered over her squad's battle-net, the entire communications system housed within the VATS system.

"_One distraction coming up,"_ Omega replied before the rings activated again.

All attention turned to the rings as they activated again and one rather unfortunate man at the very back of the Lucian Alliance formation took a bullet through his skull. The second, third, fourth, and fifth all fell within seconds of the first and Kimi pulled her now empty clip out of the rifle before stowing it away in her utility belt and swapping it out for a fresh clip. She'd have to worry about policing her brass later, right now she had twenty-odd soldiers looking for the spider in its web.

Kimi let the magnetic holster holding her to the ceiling break loose before jumping away from the wall, her rifle clinging to the magnet to free up her hands. She landed on top of a large coolant tank with a roll and a slide before slipping off the edge and grabbing onto the side with her magnetic gloves. Once again she thanked Athena for having gifted her with such battle prowess and drew her side arm. Both of her primary weapons were too bulky to be used in a confined space like this, so she'd have to improvise.

She was good at that too. Athena was very generous when she gave Kimi her natural affinity for dealing out death to her enemies.

Two more guards took a round to their heads before Kimi dropped again and landed on a large pipe. Sprinting across the twelve-inch pipe was made all the easer by the magnets in her boots, but she still had to have grace and balance to pull it off. She reached the end of the pipe and swan dove off of the nearly two-story high ledge. She dropped down a full story and grabbed another pipe, her momentum allowing her to swing up and land with her feet planted on the ferromagnetic material of the coolant tank's sidewall. Now she was in a position to use her secondary weapon.

Swapping out the pistol for the latest design to leave their personal weapons labs, Kimi drew a rectangular shape from her back and let the rifle fold out into its full form. Even then, it was only half the size and weight of her Berretta, and had less firepower. It did, however, have a noise dampening system built into the casing and the added benefit of no casings to police. "I'll draw their attention, but watch out for the automated turret," Kimi said as she deactivated her cloak, popped out of cover and opened fire on the men below her.

All of their fire focused on her and she ducked around behind a pipe before dropping down to a lower balcony. She ran across it at full speed, firing precision rounds into the crowd. With all of them firing at her, the noise in the room was enough to hide the activation of the rings from all but the two Lucian Alliance soldiers standing closest to it. They turned to face a new enemy only to have Jesse stab one in the temple and Tommy to break the other's neck in a fluid motion that only his inhuman strength would allow for.

Kimi, running across the balcony, took a round through her calf muscle and fell to the ground, her body disappearing as she dropped and a hard-light hologram taking up the sprint. To the Lucian Alliance soldiers shooting at her, she had tripped and regained her balance mid-fall. To the two Humans accustomed to her style of fighting, she had just become a ghost in the wind.

Tommy shouldered his heavy machine gun and let loose with a nonstop stream of hyper-accelerated bullets. Those fortunate enough to avoid the opening attack on their rear flank scrambled for cover as the two males approached from behind and Kimi's hologram fritzed out. Jesse ran forward as fast as he could and jumped over the pipes one man was using for cover, his shotgun barking out his opinion of the man before he landed at a roll, got to his feet and charged his next target. Tommy more strutted than marched down the line of machinery and lit up the room any time he saw so much as a head pop out of cover.

As the two males advanced, the rings behind them sparked a few times before the lights on the controls went dead. A split second later, Kimi darted past them both, still invisible, and pounced on a group of three soldiers. She moved like water over smooth terrain. One attack led to another and everything flowed together until her task was completed. It started with the first being struck in the face by her invisible fist, her body twisting with the force of the blow as she drew a blade from her belt and brought it up in her other hand. Her spin gave her momentum which gave her force. When she brought her blade up, it sliced through another man's chest with an ease unknown to most Humans. That man fell to his knees with a cry of pain as Kimi continued her spin. She flipped the blade over in her hand and stabbed it into the eye of the third soldier before pulling her sidearm and putting a bullet through the first man's head. With their deaths, the room became instantly silent of combat. All that was left was the man crying in pain at the large cut on his chest, a noise that was silenced by a bullet passing through his skull, but the machines still hummed and buzzed around them.

"The Athamite Academy for Assassins," Tommy said as he and Jesse walked over to the woman.

"It's not an academy," Kimi countered as she pulled her blade from her victim's head and cleaned the blood off of the trinium-alloy blade. "You don't ask to join the Athamite Assassins, you get drafted when you're young."

"It's a wonder you and Six haven't hooked up yet," Tommy said with a shit eating grin. "What with him being KGB and you being the Greek version of the KGB, you two would…" He stopped speaking when that blade made contact with his throat. "Okay, I'll drop it," Tommy said in a pleading tone. He knew for a fact that she would kill him just as easily as she had the others. She was cold like that.

"The Colonel's not going to be happy about this," Jesse observed as he looked at all the dead bodies. There was no hiding this.

"We only have to keep them unaware of our presence long enough to take out the communications array. Once that's done, they can't call for help," Kimi countered as she led the way towards the control room.

"How do we know they don't already know we're here?" Jesse asked.

"Jammer," Kimi replied as she pointed at her back.

The armor worn by the teams under the command of Colonel Viride, those loyal to the sub-division of the SGC that did those things that Earth couldn't be tied to, was years in advance to the armor worn by the SG teams, but not because Earth didn't want the best for their men. The armor they wore cost more to produce than a 302 and had been acquired by making deals on the galactic black market. There were six classes of specialists, and each class's set of armor was different from the last. Infiltrators, for example, had a Sodan cloaking device built into them which meant that they also had a special layer of anti-radiation material between the wearer and the device to help them fight off radiation sickness. A Soldier's armor was thicker with mechanized joints to allow them to handle heavier weapons with ease and gifted them a speed not gained naturally. The other classes had different modifications to their armor as well ranging from different plates to different joints and armor in different places based on their combat styles. Kimi's armor being as thin as it is allowing her full use of her agility was a prime example when compared to Tommy's thick armor plating that would stop more bullets than hers would.

That having been said, there was a red light running up and down Kimi's spine where the jammer was built into her armor and tapped into the power supply that rested between her shoulder blades. The designs for these armor systems had been handed over to the SGC two weeks after they had been finalized and not a single one had been built in the eight months the SGC has had the designs because they really were that expensive, and the IOA argued that the 304 they could build with the funds and materials needed to outfit the SG teams was a better investment for global security.

Between the trinium armor plating, liquid naquadah power core, and other such technologies, it would bankrupt the SGC's fleet budget to produce the armor en mass, and ships were needed to defend the planet and take the fight to the enemy. It was the ultimate 'rock and hard place' to be stuck between. Should you save the lives of your soldiers who are out there taking the fight to the enemy and defending the planet by giving them advanced armor, or produce ships to defend the planet from the unimaginably large alien fleet and take the fight to the enemy before that fleet can be deployed to Earth?

"Which generator are we blowing up?" Tommy asked.

"I'll check their computers to make sure there's only the one and see if I can get us a map of the tower for the VATS system. There's a control room up there that should suffice," Kimi replied as she led the way up to the top of the large room.

*Overseer's Palace (Upper Levels)*

"Hold it right there!" a big burly man with a scar where his right eye should be demanded.

Cassidy rounded the corner and froze in place with a look on her face like a deer caught in the headlights. "Please don't hurt me, I'm just trying to find the exit," she pleaded in a weak tone.

"What are you doing here?" the man demanded gruffly as he drew his sidearm.

"I… I was…" Cassidy began as she let her eyes fill with tears. "I was at home. I wasn't doing anything wrong. The soldiers came and they brought me here. They… they…" she stuttered as she sunk to the floor and buried her face in her hands. She had already ditched her armor for the tattered clothes worn by the locals who lived under the Alliance to help sell the idea of being lost, but it was all just for show.

The man narrowed his one good eye in disgust and put his weapon away before carefully approaching the strawberry blond. "Who did this?" the man asked as he knelt down beside her. Cassidy flinched away from his touch and whimpered. The man let his guard down and leaned in a little closer. "I'm not going to hurt you," he began. "I want to hel…"

Cassidy reached up and placed one hand on his head, and the other on his chest. With one hand, her thumb pressed into his forehead and her fingers gripped his skull. With the other, she gripped his chest in a way that constricted the heart and caused it to beat erratically. She looked into his eye, spoke to him a soft tone, then removed the hand from his chest, and pulled a small bell from her sleeve. The bell chimed three times before the man's eye finally glazed over. She released her grip on his head and he rocked back on his heels. Blissfully unaware of his condition, the man carefully picked her up and carried her in his arms as she continued to cry into his shoulder. He took her past the other guards who merely smiled as the man walked past. A few of them winked at the one eyed man, but no one questioned him. He carried her to the ring platform and the two of them appeared further up the tower.

The man walked into the room, laid her on a table, drew his weapon and emptied the room with a threatening growl. The occupants promptly exited through a different set of rings at the other end of the room. As the scientists were sent down in a flash of light, the other two members of her team were brought up.

"You did well. Now go to sleep," Cassidy ordered in a seductive tone and the man dropped to the floor in a limp heap.

"You scare me sometimes," Jack said as she walked into the room with Cassidy's armor floating along behind her in a field of light generated by her glowing body.

"Well, that's one way to bypass their security systems," Colonel Viride added as he walked up to the main terminal.

"More inconspicuous than hacking the rings and setting off the alarms," Cassidy said with a shrug.

"This planet disgusts me," Jack said with in a bitter tone. "These bastards run around raping, killing, threatening, and stealing these people's food. It makes my blood boil."

"Calm down, Jack, you're getting too worked up," Colonel Viride ordered over his shoulder as the woman's body started glowing darkly.

"I just want to kill them all!" Jack hissed.

"You'll get your chance, but not now. First we need to keep them from calling for help," Cassidy said comfortingly as she started putting her armor back on.

"And we're no better!" Jack continued. "We're taking from the Alliance what they themselves took from the people who live here."

"We're not taking everything," Cassidy countered. "We're leaving the food that they keep for the locals and taking what they're sending to the Alliance at large. We're not going to leave these people here to starve."

"And if these fucking assholes take all the food that the locals need and keep it for theirselves?" Jack demanded.

"They won't be alive to," Colonel Viride replied in a low tone. "Plant the charges," he ordered as he tossed a bag of C4 to Cassidy. "We'll blow the tower and take out the upper echelon. With the rulers dead and the crops gone, the Alliance will abandon this world. They only want it for its food. Take that away and remove the symbol of control and the locals will have their moon back."

"What's to stop them from coming back a few years from now?" Jack asked.

"In a few years, we should have the Alliance on the defensive. Their foot soldiers are no match for ours and their fleets are pathetic compared to the Goa'uld. Ba'al will weaken them because he wants their territory, then we'll finish them both off. In a few years, the galaxy will be a far safer place."

"You left out the Ori," Cassidy pointed out.

"The Ori is the SGC's problem," Colonel Viride countered as he kept working at the computers. "Landry has us running interference against Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance because they're minor threats and we can handle them. Keep the two groups fighting each other and the SGC will be free to take on the Ori without Ba'al and the Alliance targeting Earth. If we finish with the Alliance and Ba'al before the SGC manages to take out the Ori, we'll be reassigned. Until then, we focus on keeping the Alliance and the Goa'uld too focused on one another to remember that we're a threat to them both."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Dead Space (Location Classified)**

*_Devastator_ (Combat Information Center)*

The name given to this ship was one that the boarding party had given it simply out of desire to give voice to the destruction it could cause. It was needless, but, at the same time, somehow needed.

"According to the internal sensors, there's close to fifty Jaffa aboard the ship," Ruavu reported.

"Isolate them and vent those compartments to space," Gluk ordered.

"It shall be done," Ruavu said with a nod.

"What's the status of the _Flame_?"

"Heed and Arasleon made it aboard safely. They're keeping the engines warm incase a quick escape is needed," Uekespin replied.

"Good, the Mimner will be pleased," Gluk said as he clasped his hands behind his back and stood at the center of the large ship's Combat Information Center. "Glozic, Diviak, now is the time."

"By the Mimner," Diviak replied with a small bow before disappearing from view.

"By the Mimner," Glozic repeated before walking towards the door.

"I have managed to eliminate the bulk of the enemy forces, but there are some groups that still remain," Ruavu reported.

"Borrub, Uekespin, hunt them to extinction," Gluk ordered.

"By the Mimner," the two replied in unison before arming themselves and exiting the nerve center of Ba'al's would-be-flagship.

"_Any time now,"_ Ruavu said, her voice coming from the speakers in Gluk's helmet.

"Let's hope this works," Gluk replied over the private channel that linked their suits of armor together.

"_Have a little faith. Your plans never fail,"_ Ruavu said comfortingly as movement behind them caught their attention.

A hologram shimmered into existence and strutted across the command center to stand before the two aliens. _"Such a disgusting race,"_ Ba'al said in a tone of displeasure. _"Tell me, vermin, why have you taken my ship?"_

"What the Mimner demands of the Impolans, the Impolans deliver to the Mimner without question or hesitation," Gluk replied.

"_The Mimner? I have never heard of such a thing."_

"This only proves your claims to be a god to be false," Ruavu snapped venomously.

Ba'al's two eyes shifted to meet her three, all of which were hidden behind the helmet that covered her face. _"Do not presume that I cannot end you even now. I will give you one opportunity to return what is mine. If you do not, I will activate the ship's self-destruct…"_

Ba'al trailed off when Ruavu entered the self-destruct sequence only for nothing to happen. "We have already disabled the command module that activates that system."

"_So you have,"_ Ba'al replied with a smirk. _"Then I will send my fleet to hunt down you and your 'Mimner' until nothing is left of your species but decomposing corpses in the primordial muck you crawled out of."_

"You do not stand a chance against the might of the Mimner," the Impolan replied, the entire conversation being held in Goa'uld. "Where you are a False God, a snake in the head of a man, the Mimner is a True God. He comes not from this galaxy. He crossed the distance between his pervious home and his new one by walking amongst the stars. You cannot claim to have done the same. This conversation is over," Gluk said before shooting the communications array with a bullet accelerated to beyond the speed of sound by the firing rail in the man-portable railguns they used for weapons. "Is the system dead?" Gluk asked.

"Damaged, but reparable, not that we really need it," Ruavu replied.

"Can he still see us?"

"No. We'd have to repair the system for him to get a connection."

"Good," Gluk said as he pulled his helmet off and let it drop into the chair behind him. "It's hard to breath in that thing," he added in an annoyed tone.

Ruavu pulled her own helmet off and let her long, dark brown hair fall down her back. "You're preaching to the converted," she said with a smile.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Pilot's Briefing Room)*

"Death Gliders have thick armor and heavy weapons compared to what you've been up against," Gabi explained as a holographic image of a Death Glider appeared behind her. "Their armor is composed of a metal that puts everything you have to shame, but their pilots aren't really trained for fighter-on-fighter combat. The Lucian Alliance is a new galactic power on the rise that's nothing more than an alliance of gangsters, thugs, rapists, murders, and smugglers all trying to take advantage of the power vacuum left over from the collapse of the Goa'uld Empire. They don't train their pilots to be good, they just train them well enough that they know how to fly in a straight line and land when needed. Mostly they just bomb civilians who don't do what they want them to. However, their weapons will outright destroy you if they get a direct hit.

"They shoot slow, they fly slow, they turn slow, but their armor is strong. Yes, I just reiterated that for a reason. If you're going to take these guys down, you have to get behind them and take out their propulsion system or get a good shot at the cockpit. The problem with that second option is that they have superior targeting range. They'll lock onto you before you're even in firing range. If you can get behind them, you can take them down quick and easy. As for the _Galactica_, just pump out flak rounds and they won't even know what to do. They're idiots who fancy themselves pilots. This will be easy because they're not any good as a unified fighter force. It'll be hard because their armor is thick and their weapons are better than yours. Are you getting the picture here or should I reiterate the main points just one more time?"

"No, I think that that about sums it up," Starbuck replied in a smart-ass tone.

"Good, then get ready to launch," Gabi said as she started packing up her stuff.

"First time briefing a team?" Commander Adama asked as he walked over.

"The Colonel tends to handle that part of the pre-op pep talk. I'm not exactly good at it," Gabi admitted.

"It shows," Bill said with a nod. "Do you think they honestly understood what you meant?"

"If not, they should've said so before Blondie opened her mouth."

"Kara's a wild child, but she keeps us sane. I'll have a word with her later."

"That's not necessary," Gabi said as she put the last piece of her projection system into her bag. "I doubt I'll be giving another briefing on your ship, so it's not like it matters. If her attitude is what keeps people from going crazy, don't burst her bubble."

"I assume you'll be accompanying me to the CIC?" Bill asked.

"Unless you know how to run a subspace communications array," Gabi replied with a kind smile.

"There was only ever one in the Colonies. They built it on Caprica and we used it as a navigational beacon. That's all that it was ever good for. They couldn't do anything else with it."

"Well, at least you were close. Anyway, it's not **really** a subspace communications array. _Galactica_'s power grid isn't advanced enough to handle the whole system so I just installed the receiver. We'll be able to receive updates from the _Odyssey_, but we won't be able to broadcast anything."

"So it's just the countdown clock?"

"Essentially, yes."

"What type of range does it have?"

"That depends on your power supply, condition of your array, and the technology behind it. We can normally phone home from anywhere in the galaxy, but, with the damage the _Odyssey_ suffered during the battle with the Ori, we're lucky to be able to broadcast from Samsara to the last place we fought the Cylons."

"And you can really jump the fleet from here to there?"

"Whether or not it can be done isn't the question. The question is whether or not it's safe. Your FTL drives were designed by a true genius, but your navigational computers take that genius and limit to how far you're willing to risk traveling due to the drift factor. I can assure you, Commander, this **is** possible, but the strain you've been putting on your civvies' FTL drives, drives that weren't built to last by the military, concerns me. It's possible that their coils might give out if we do this too many times without letting them cool off properly. The jump to Samsara and the jump out of Alliance Space will put a great deal of strain on their coils. It'll take about a day for that to be relieved and that puts us at the mercy of anyone who finds us, which, I might add, is why we're jumping so far in the first place; to avoid detection. We might even escape the Cylons if we do this just right."

"If the Cylons do follow us to Samsara, would the Lucian Alliance be able to beat them?" Bill asked.

"It would be bloody, I'll tell you that much," Gabi replied with a smile. "They have better weapons than we do, I'll give them that, but their shielding system, which is to say their armor, isn't nearly as strong as the _Odyssey_'s."

"An alliance of thugs and gangsters?" Bill asked.

"A violent alliance of thugs and gangsters," Gabi corrected him.

**Samsara Prime (Surface)**

*Overseer's Palace (Exterior)*

"Blow it," Alpha ordered as his team slipped into cover next to the other half of their squad.

Kimi pressed the button on the detonator and a rumble shot through the moon's surface as the underground power generators exploded. At the top of the tower, the comms array was blown apart, large pieces of satellite dishes and antennas raining down on the surrounding area. The tower swayed under the force of the joint explosions, but stabilized and remained standing.

"Fuck this!" Jack swore as she stood out of cover and let the glow consume her body.

The light danced around her form and her body lifted off of the ground as the very fabric of the universe bowed to her demands. A pulse of light and a spike in her body's temperature sent a wall of energy slamming into the bottom three stories of the tower. The wall of energy shattered the glass and ate away at the metal like a swarm of metal-eating insects. Building materials were turned to dust in the wind as the energy poured forth from her body, but this was just the precursor. With a cry of rage, Jack opened her clenched fist and let the light form an orb in her hand. She threw that orb with all the force of a fully loaded freight train moving at two-hundred miles per hour hitting a squishy target. The two fields of light met with a bang and the tower was consumed in rippling blue flames.

It wasn't a fire that burnt fuel and consumed oxygen. It was a fire born of fury, anger, and unexplainable power. It burnt through metal, stone, and flesh alike, the screams of the dying filling the air as the flames shot higher, scaling the tower in mere seconds until the entire thing was ablaze with Jack's wrath. In the top of the tower, people burned. Towards the base, the structure began to give out as the flames burnt through the supports.

A hand grabbed her own and pulled her back down to the surface of the moon before there was a flash of light and Jack's view of the fire was terminated. She could only turn an outraged fist towards the one that had taken away her victory, but her fist struck only a white field of energy.

"Calm down, and I'll let you out," Oliver ordered. "It's over. Take a deep breath, and let it all out." He spoke to her from the other side of a containment field designed to keep prisoners from escaping. This was always his way of keeping her from destroying something that they wanted to keep intact. She hated it, but she knew it was better than ripping the _Odyssey_'s 302 bay apart.

Jack inhaled through her nose then let a cry of pain and rage escape her throat as she announced her displeasure to the heavens themselves. Her body glowed even brighter until her skin turned white and was nearly transparent. Her hair fell out of her head and yet she kept screaming even as parts of her flesh started to dissolve. Not until her lungs were empty did she stop. Her rage now burnt out, she dropped back to the floor where once she was hovering above it curled into a tight ball, and slowly began to return to a more Human appearance.

Once her skin was back to being lightly tanned and her eyes weren't orbs of black, the white field disappeared and she let out a slow, shaky breath. "What the hell is wrong with me?" Jack asked.

"You're destabilizing," Oliver said as he sat on the floor next to her.

"Colt said that he fixed this shit!" Jack replied, her voice raw and her eyes full of tears. "I just want to be Human again," she sobbed angrily.

"I know," Oliver whispered soothingly as he pulled her closer and let her rest her head on his shoulder. "It's your metabolism," he started to explain. "You're burning through the drug faster than it can get into your system and it's affecting your mind. You're relapsing and going through withdrawal at the same time."

"What am I supposed to do?" Jack asked as she began crying into his armored shoulder.

"Tell yourself the truth. You're stronger than this. You don't need drugs to keep you calm. You don't need to kill everyone you see. You can trust the people around you. We'll always have your back, Jack. Just tell yourself that and we'll get through this."

"You better be right," Jack sobbed.

"Hey now," Oliver said playfully. "Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"There was that one time on Vaccus," Jack said with a small smile in her voice.

"Hey now! Vaccus wasn't my fault," Oliver said defensively as he held the woman close and let her get it all out of her system.

"Thanks, Ollie," Jack said as she drifted into a state of unconsciousness, her energy stores thoroughly drained.

"Think you can keep that up?" Tommy asked as he walked over and pulled the last of the drug that kept Jack stable from the first aid kit he kept strapped to his back during missions.

"Which part?" Oliver countered, his own voice tight.

"The part where she doesn't go crazy," Tommy replied.

"I'll do my best, Tommy, but she's getting worse. She's a few days away from being like she was when we first met her."

"That was a dark time for her, Oliver. Even if she loses control of her body, her mind will never be that dark again."

"How can you know that?" Oliver asked as tears started forming in his own eyes. His, like hers, were tears of rage. She didn't deserve this, and he wasn't even sure he could kill her if it came down to it.

"You have that effect on her," Tommy replied as he went to work on her ravaged body. "You two share a past that's similar enough that she can draw strength from what you've made of yourself. You were an assassin, Oliver," Tommy continued sternly. "She was too. There's a connection there. You, as you are, is what she wants to be. Respectable, loved by her peers, and holding some sibilance of normalcy."

"What's normal about what we do?" Oliver asked angrily.

"Defending one's home from the things that go bump in the night? I'd say that's pretty damn normal considering there are millions of soldiers back on Earth doing the same thing. We just do it on a larger scale. If you want to help her, you have to be strong enough for the both of you, because without you, Jack goes back to being Mictecacihuatl, Queen of the Underworld, Lady of Death… whatever you want to call the Goa'uld that once controlled her, without you that thing comes back."

"No pressure, huh?" Oliver asked sarcastically.

"Just get her to the med bay so I can start wrapping those skinless parts," Tommy replied.

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center) [immediately after jump]*

"We did it, sir," Lieutenant Gaeta reported.

"Good news followed by even more good news," Saul said. "It looks like the _Odyssey_ managed to save Lee."

"This is a great day for the fleet," Laura agreed as the first genuine smile to slip through her sorrow lit up her face.

"How long until the _Odyssey_ regroups with the fleet?" Bill asked.

"Their FTL drive works differently from ours. I don't have the slightest clue," Gaeta replied.

"That's why he wasn't asking you," Gabi said with a small chuckle. "It'll take them about a minute to cross the distance."

"Why do you move so slowly?" Gaeta asked.

"Because we can maintain that speed indefinitely as opposed to jumping, cooling down, then jumping again. Our FTL drives are designed to operate on an intergalactic level. If the _Odyssey_ wasn't damaged, we'd just jump into hyperspace and stay there until we got home. The damage to the drive is keeping us from doing that, so we're kind of stuck right now."

"DRADIS contact," Dee reported as a ghost appeared on their sensors. "It's the _Odyssey_."

"I was off by a few seconds," Gabi said with a shrug. "Permission to forward a post battle report, Commander?"

"Granted," Bill replied with a nod. Inside he was smiling. Outside, he was trying to appear calm. This was indeed a great day for the fleet.

"Sir, we're being hailed," Dee reported.

"Put them through," Bill ordered. "Colonel Davidson, how fairs the _Odyssey_?"

"_We've got a contact on the long range sensors that matches the _Galactica_ in general shape and size. Your son tells me that its IFF matches that of a _Battlestar Pegasus_,"_ Colonel Davidson replied.


	12. Resurrect This!

Chapter 11

Resurrect This!

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Surface)**

*Alpha Site (Control Room)*

"What's the situation?" General Ervin, the Commanding Officer of the Alpha Site, asked as he walked into the Control Room.

"We detected a subspace rupture in orbit of the moon," the CO's Executive Officer, Colonel Fray, replied.

"Hyperspace event?" the General asked.

"As of a few seconds ago, a large craft roughly one-point-one kilometers long, triangular in shape, and broadcasting no IFF dropped out of hyperspace before killing their engines and entering a stable lunar orbit. Their weapons are offline, shields are down, and the hull has minor damage to a few sections… The easiest way to put it would be to say that the ship is running on basic life-support and that's it. The only other system that's still active is the docking controls."

"Sir, I've got movement," another officer said. "There's a small ship leaving the hangar bay."

"Incoming message," the communications officer reported. "Text only."

"Subspace rupture," the first officer called out. "Unknown vessel has jumped into hyperspace."

"Display the message," the General ordered.

A line of incomprehensible symbols appeared on a screen and their resident analyst translated it. "This language matches the sample in the data package we received from the SGC regarding the Impolans. The message reads, 'Consider this a gift from the Mimner. May his kindness not be forgotten in a time of need.' It looks like we might have a new ally."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Ervin cautioned. "They promised us Ba'al's unfinished flagship in exchange for our help when they ask for it. If that thing really is Ba'al's newest ship, then we need to make sure it's not broadcasting any traceable signals or we'll have his entire fleet in orbit in a matter of days. Dial the SGC and update them on the situation. Send them a copy of the sensor readings and ready a boarding party. Get Mister Colson's team and a few Marines loaded into the Tel'tak we got from the Tok'ra and let's hope they left the hangar doors open. I want a flight of 302s on station in orbit with their weapons primed. If they have to force their way into the hangar, try to leave the ship intact. In case this ends up being a trap, I want a nuke loaded into the Tel'tak as insurance."

"What about the rings?" one of the officers asked.

"They're locked out," Fray replied. "The Impolans probably tried to keep Ba'al's forces from boarding by locking out the system if not destroying the crystal tray entirely. Either way, the weapons systems are still intact and that ship is more advanced than anything the Goa'uld have produced so far. We might be looking at the greatest cache of Goa'uld technology in the history of the SGC. This is a great day for Earth."

"Get the team ready," Ervin repeated gruffly before heading to the Gate Room to give his report in person.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Unknown Cylon Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Pegasus_ (Combat Information Center)*

Sparks flew from one of the consuls in the CIC as the _Pegasus_ took another missile to her armored hull. They were losing this battle, but Admiral Cain was determined to destroy the ship the Cylons were so hell-bent on defending. If it was important to them, than it had to be destroyed, no matter the costs.

"DRADIS contacts!" one her officers shouted above the chaos. "Inbound fighters."

"More Raiders?" Cain's Executive Officer, Colonel Fisk, asked.

"No, ma'am, they're moving too…" the DRADIS officer trailed off as ten signals blew past the _Pegasus_ at speeds that even the Cylons couldn't sustain.

Weapons fire was exchanged between the mystery fighters and the Raiders, but the mystery fighters weren't here for a dogfight. They blew out of the far end of the Raider formation, nearly half of the Raider force breaking off to give chase, and fired missiles at the Baseships guarding the unidentified Cylon vessel. The call of "Radiological alarm!" went out mere moments before a single nuke slipped past the target Baseship's defenses and detonated with enough force to shatter the entire starship despite it being previously undamaged.

"We're being hailed," the comms officer reported.

"Put them on," Cain ordered in an interested tone.

"_This is Colonial Raptor three-three-two to _Pegasus_ Actual. I have a set of coordinates and a message from _Galactica_ Actual. If you'll follow us, we'll lead you to safety."_

"Coordinates received," the comms officer reported.

"This could be a trap," Fisk began.

"It's not," Cain said confidently. "Figures Adama would be the one to make it out alive. Helm, spool up the coils and make the jump."

"Ma'am, these coordinates are for an area of space roughly three jumps from our current location," the navigational officer informed her.

"Do they check out?" Cain asked.

"Yes, ma'am," the officer replied.

"Then make the jump," Cain ordered.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"DRADIS contact," Dee reported as the _Pegasus_ appeared on their screen. "Make that two; the Raptor made it back in one piece."

"And the fighters?" Saul asked.

"Give them a minute," Gabi replied. "They're a little slower than the _Odyssey_ since their hyperdrives are smaller."

"We're being hailed," Gaeta reported.

"As expected," Commander Adama said as he picked up the phone.

"DRADIS contact," Dee announced. "Your fighters are back."

"You're good at this," Gaeta observed.

"I've been doing it for a long time," Gabi replied with a shrug.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Observation Room Three)*

The window that looked out unto the stars was currently their only way of seeing the fighters come in for a landing. "Why did you essentially mimic the Death Gliders when you built your fighters?" Jack asked.

"The X-301 was essentially a Death Glider with a USAF sticker slapped on the side and a pair of rockets attached to the wings. The F-302 was the next step and has three separate engine systems to get it into orbit. The squints at Area 51 have been trying to redesign the fighter to get the engines and power systems reduced to a single unit, but they keep running into problems with not having an advanced enough engine to do everything they need it to. I think that a modified version of a Colonial Viper's engine would suffice, but I'm not really an engineer," Oliver replied without looking up from the pad of paper in his lap.

"So you're sticking with a rip-off because you can't do anything on your own?" Jack teased in an effort to get a rise out of the man.

"The SGC built the _Prometheus_ and _Daedalus_-class ships," Oliver countered, again without looking up.

"Yeah, because those are great milestones," Jack said with a roll of her eyes. "The _Prometheus_, as I understand it, was an over-glorified and mislabeled 'Battlecrusier' that was really nothing but a fighter carrier. That thing had more anti-fighter guns than it did anti-shipping weaponry and it was supposed to be your answer to the Goa'uld Ha'tak? Now you have the _Daedalus_ and it's supposed to be capable of taking on the Goa'uld, the Lucian Alliance, the Ori, and the Wraith? Its weapons are barely better than the _Prometheus_'! You may be good at fighting Cylons, but you don't stand a chance at beating anyone else."

"And yet we're doing better than the Jaffa," Oliver countered.

"Really?" Jack asked in a tone of true disbelief. "First, you're doing better because the Free Jaffa Nation is the Ori's primary target. Second, the Jaffa have more firepower than you do and they're **still** losing because their shields aren't as good. Third, your shields were **given** to you by the Asgard. Should I keep going, or do you get my point?"

"Our Naquadah Generators are our own," Oliver said as he put his pencil down and looked up at the woman who was pacing in front of the window. "Our railguns are our own. Our nukes are our own…"

"Bullshit!" Jack interrupted. "You got your Naquadah Generators from the Orbanians and Ra was the first person to put naquadah in a nuke, you just copied him."

Oliver was quiet for a moment before nodding his consent. "That's true," he said as he picked up his pencil and went back to work.

"That's it?" Jack asked indignantly.

"What do you want, Jack?" Oliver asked as he looked up at her. "We're not the creators of all the technology in the galaxy, the Ancients are. The Goa'uld stole everything they have from them and we got what we didn't get from the Ancients from the Asgard who were allied with the Ancients. We have better allies so we get better tech. What the Asgard won't give us, we reverse engineer from the Goa'uld who, in turn, reverse engineered it from the Ancients. Why are you being so judgmental of Humans when everyone **except** the Four Great Races and the Ori stole what they have from their forefathers? Even the Wraith based their entire tech base off of Lantean technology."

Jack fell silent before shrugging. "That's true," she said with a devious smile. "I think Humans are better at reverse engineering things than the Goa'uld are, though."

"And why's that?"

"The Goa'uld reverse engineered their plasma bombs from some piece of Ancient weaponry and it kind of sucks. They can shoot one bomb per emitter every five seconds. The ones Gabi and Six made can fire a barrage of eight before entering a five second recharge and being ready to go again. That's impressive."

"They did do a good job with the SR series as a whole, I'll give them that."

"Stealth Recon… Frigates, right?"

"Yeah."

"And that's, what? A heavy bomber class?"

"No, the modern definition of Frigate has more to do with a fast moving vessels used for escort duty and armed with guided missiles. They're typically used for shoreline bombardment if not just purely an escort, but we had to redefine it again when we started building up the space navy. The newest rendition of the meaning of the title has to do with a fast moving ship that's heavily armed, lightly armored, and maneuverable enough to avoid enemy fire."

"I guess that fits your ships then," Jack said with a sigh as she got bored of the conversation that refused to become an argument.

"That's kind of the whole point of a class designation system," Oliver countered before going back to his drawing.

"What are you doing, anyway?" Jack asked.

"There is no end to your questions, is there?" Oliver asked as he showed her the picture he was working on.

"Wow!" Jack exclaimed breathlessly as she took in the expertly captured image of the tower on Samsara engulfed in the flames of her soul. "How do you do that with just a pencil? There's no color and it still looks… wow!"

"I had a good teacher," Oliver replied before returning to his work.

"Is that for the little man?" Jack asked.

Oliver nodded in reply.

"What's his name again?"

"Luka."

"And he's your son?"

"Yes."

"And his mother?"

"Not in the picture."

"Why not?"

"She died."

"How?"

"Can we not have that conversation right now?"

"Is she the one with the bomb in her head?"

"Jack," Oliver said in a warning tone.

"Fine," Jack relented as she went back to staring out of the window. "So, out of curiosity…"

"That's it!" Oliver said in a defeated tone before grabbing the bag at his feet and walking away.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Orbit)**

*_Devastator_ (Engineering Deck) [six hours later]*

Colson placed the last of the crystals into its slot and a soft light filled the tray. He slid it back into position then stood over the console the tray was connected to. "That should do it," he said to the room at large.

"_Devastator_ to Alpha Site, do you read us?" one of his researchers said into the radio.

"_Alpha Site to _Devastator_, we read you. What's your status?"_ General Ervin's voice replied.

"Basic communications are back up without any bugs in the system or recording devices. We're still working on the holo-comms, but there are more spy-bugs in that system than you'd believe. Life-support is back up to nominal, the engines are online, weapons check out, shields are good, the rings are unlocked… all in all, she's starting to look like a warship again, but we still need to repair the damage the Impolans caused to the hull and reactor when they took her. We'll need to get raw materials, but there's a series of subsystems specifically designed to turn this flying hunk of metal into a mobile mining and refinement station. With your permission, we'll take her out to the neighboring system and start harvesting that trinium deposit we picked up on earlier in the year," Colson replied.

"_That's a negative. The SGC is sending us more manpower to study the ship. Your orders are to wait for the next batch of scientists before going anywhere. What's the status of the scans?"_

"Roughly six percent complete and going slow. The hull is made of an alloy that's absorbing a large portion of our hand-held scanners. We'll need a capital ship's subspace grid to get any real readings, but we have managed to decrypt and compress just under twenty percent of the ship's data logs. I have a data package that I need forwarded to the Beta Site and the SGC."

"_Why the Beta Site?"_

"That's where they're developing our first-gen plasma cannons and the first thing we focused on was the weapons systems. To say that Felger's going to want to see this is an understatement. We might be looking at the missing piece to our plasma cannon designs."

"_I'll forward it right away."_

"Excellent. We'll keep working on the rest of the systems. If we can, we might want to send a copy of this stuff to the Asgard. I think that Ba'al tried to put an Asgard shield generator onto this thing. Sounds like something they'd want to know."

"_With any luck, the Asgard will be in the galaxy in a few days to find the _Odyssey_. We'll just tell them then since we still don't have a way of reaching the Asgard while they're in Ida."_

"Copy that. We'll keep working," Colson replied before moving to the next system that had been damaged.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Pegasus_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Admiral Cain, this is Laura Roslin, the President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol," Commander Adama said as the woman walked into the CIC with a look of awe on her face.

"Madam President," Cain said as she shook the woman's hand.

"It's good to find another ship this far out from the Colonies," Roslin replied with a smile.

"You found one ship," Cain replied. "Imagine how I feel right now."

There was a bright flash of light in the hall outside of the CIC before five men walked into the room, four of them armed to the teeth and obviously protecting the fifth. "Colonel Ian Davidson reporting as requested," the man in the middle said as the two lead guards parted to give him room to speak.

"You must be the commander of the _Odyssey_," Cain said matter-of-factly while trying to wrap her head around the need for a flash grenade.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person," Commander Adama said as he shook Davidson's hand.

"Likewise, Commander," Davidson said. "I apologize for not having the time before now, but, with the _Odyssey_'s systems damaged, I'm inclined to stay where I'm needed most."

"Understandably," Adama said with a nod. "This is Rear Admiral Helena Cain of the Colonial Space Navy. She's in charge now."

"I suspected as much," Davidson said as he sized the woman up without offering her any greeting. "My techs tell me that the _Pegasus_ is damaged and that they might be able to fix a few of your problems for you. If you're interested, I'll loan you a few good men."

"I'll keep that in mind," Cain replied as she, in turn, sized up the man before her.

"So tell us, Admiral, what is the _Pegasus_ doing this far from the Colonies all on her own?" Roslin asked in an effort to diffuse the cold war between the two officers.

"Chasing the Cylons," Cain replied without looking away from Davidson. She couldn't say why, but something about this man was… off. The way he talked, the way walked, his rank, the flash of light, the guards… something wasn't adding up.

"The subspace ship," Davidson said matter-of-factly.

"The what?" Roslin asked.

"Our sensors detected the Cylon Baseship that escaped our last engagement retreating to a small group of ships that was hanging back from the battle. After the battle we ignored them because they didn't have the forces to take on the combined strength of the _Galactica_ and the _Odyssey_ and the Cylons know that, but we've been keeping an eye on them ever since. They're still following us," Davidson replied.

"How is that even possible?" Roslin asked. "I thought the whole reason that we jumped the fleet as far as we did and pushed the engines to their limits was so that we could leave Samsara Prime behind and let the Cylons run into your Lucian Alliance. How are they still following us even after jumping that far past the redline?"

"Because that ship is equipped with a form of subspace technology, but we're not sure what type yet. You told me that the Colonials used a subspace beacon as a navigational marker, correct?" Davidson asked.

"Everyone knows that," Cain replied in a tone of slight confusion.

"The Cylons have a similar device small enough to fit on a ship. They're tracking something in this fleet that's broadcasting a signal to the ship the Admiral is so hell-bent on destroying. It's the only explanation my people can come up with."

"The organic toasters," Cain said in a tone of disgust.

"The what?" Davidson asked.

"The Cylons that look like Humans," Adama replied.

"You never told them?" Roslin asked in a tone of disbelief. "The _Odyssey_ was boarded by the Cylons and you didn't tell them that there might be a Cylon on their ship that looks like a Human?"

"It's not that," Davidson assured her. "I've just never heard it called an 'organic toaster.' Doctor Baltar informed us of the existence of seven Human-form Cylons. We searched the _Odyssey_ thoroughly and found only the crew that was supposed to be onboard." Though he couldn't exactly pin the source of it, something about Admiral Cain made Davidson uneasy. She wasn't like Commander Adama. She was… dark.

"As part of my duty as Admiral, I need to know what this fleet is capable of. I'm aware that the _Galactica_ is damaged and almost entirely outdated, but I also know that you've worked miracles with her. I want a full report on her ammunition stocks, state of repair, and a crew list. I want a similar report on any of the ships in the civilian fleet with weapons including the _Astral Queen_. I want a full passenger list from that ship. I don't care if you have to beat the truth out of them, I want their names and why they're on that ship in the first place," Cain ordered.

"Why would you order people beaten just to learn their names?" Davidson asked.

"Because the _Astral Queen_ is a prisoner transfer ship that was moving some of the Colonies worst criminals from one planet to another when the Cylons attacked," Roslin replied.

"Prisoners or not, you can't just have people beaten. They have rights," Davidson argued.

"They forfeited their rights when they broke the law. I have no godsdamned idea why the Lords would spare them over more innocent lives, but they'll either prove their worth or be vented to space," Cain countered. "I'll also be personally inspecting both the _Galactica_ and the_ Odyssey_."

"With all due respect, Admiral, you have no right to inspect my ship," Davidson immediately countered.

"And why is it that you think that?" Cain demanded, her tone sharp as a razor. "I'm the ranking officer here and you **will** follow my orders."

"You may be the highest ranking Colonial officer, but I'm not Colonial," Davidson calmly replied.

"'Not Colonial'?" Cain asked in a tone of utter disbelief. "What the frak are you if you're not Colonial?"

"He's Tau'ri," Roslin interjected in a school teacher's tone.

"What the frak is a 'Tau'ri'?" Cain asked.

"The people of Terra," Commander Adama replied. "We found them a few dozen jumps after we left Ragnar. They saved us from the Cylons then agreed to help us hold them off in exchange for help repairing their ship."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Orbit)**

*_Devastator_ (Engineering Deck) [four hours later]*

"I wish Doctor McKay was here," one of the females working in the Engineering Deck said with a sigh of desire. "He'd know what he was looking at."

"Wow," one of the men said with an exasperated roll of his eyes. "That's the absolute dumbest thing I've ever heard. The man might, and I did say **might**, be the leading expert on Ancient technology, but this thing is full of a cross between Goa'uld and Asgard tech with just a pinch of random shit thrown in for good measure. If we could have anyone we wanted just by wishing, I'd wish Colonel Carter was here. She's actually the world's **undisputed** leading expert on Goa'uld technology and I'd take her over him every day."

"Not to mention, if she was here, the _Odyssey_ wouldn't be missing," one of the newly transferred personnel from the SGC added.

"How is the search for the _Odyssey_ going?" the male asked.

"Bad," the transfer replied. "They haven't managed to get in touch with us, the Asgard ship got delayed during their launch to this galaxy by a last minute switch up, and the _Daedalus_ is still stranded in Pegasus making repairs to its hull."

"I do hope you're actually getting work done while you're talking," Colson said as he walked in.

"Of course we are, Mister Colson," the transfer replied from his place kneeling by a crystal tray. "I'm almost done with the sensors array so we'll be able to plot our hyperspace jump soon. Speaking of which…"

"We're not using the _Devastator_ to go looking for the _Odyssey_," Colson cut the other man off. "I've already asked the General to relay that request to the SGC and General Landry promptly shot it down. He said that an untested ship freshly stolen from Ba'al being flown around Alliance territory was quite possibly the dumbest move we could possibly make."

"What about the Impolans and the Mimner? Can't they help us find the _Odyssey_?" the man asked.

"They stole this ship from **Ba'al** and **gave** it to us. **We** owe **them** not the other way around. If we ask them to help us find the _Odyssey_, the cost of their cooperation might be the _Devastator_ and this ship is worth more than the _Odyssey_," Colson replied.

"How can you say that?!" the woman asked in outrage. "This is a science project! The _Odyssey_ is crewed by people with families!"

"This 'science project' just gave us what we need to get operational plasma cannons, improve our shield strength by some measurable degree, bypass Ba'al's shields with an IFF that'll keep our fighters from crashing into the barrier, and even has a power core that's taught us more about Ba'al's level of Naquadah Generator technology than the past three years of studying Ha'tak. I am perfectly aware of the fact that the _Odyssey_'s crew has families, but they all signed up for their post knowing full well that they might not come back.

"I'm not saying that I'm happy about it, but I do know that studying this ship might give us what we need to get the _Daedalus_ and the _Apollo_ capable of taking on the Wraith and the Ori on an even footing. This ship represents the future of our star-fleet's weapons technology. Studying it could save **Earth** from attack. I'm sure that the _Odyssey_'s crew would understand that it's more than a fair trade to keep this and save the planet versus giving it up and losing Earth. Those are the odds we play with every day. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen," Colson countered in a solemn tone.

"You already asked them to make the switch," the transfer more said than asked.

"That's just what I got from General Landry's response. He said that the _Devastator_ has more war potential than the _Odyssey_ and that duplicating that potential needs to be our main focus. The Asgard will find the _Odyssey_. That's their job. Ours is to better Earth's defenses by breaking this ship down and figuring out how it works. I know that some of you have friends aboard the _Odyssey_ and I know that there are at least three of the people on this ship who have family in the crew. I'm sorry, but there's nothing that we can do. If we get the _Devastator_ fully repaired and operational before the Asgard find the _Odyssey_, then, and only then, will we be authorized to join the search party. Before any of that can be possible, however, we have to switch out the Goa'uld interplanetary hyperdrive in favor of the Asgards' intergalactic model. Get started on that once you're done with the sensors."

"Yes, sir," the trio replied in downed tones.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Unknown Cylon Fleet)**

*Unknown Cylon Vessel (Halls) [three days after the discovery of _Pegasus_]*

"Don't look back. Just keep running!" Oliver shouted as he pressed the hard drive into her hand and gave her a shove down the hall.

Kimi did as she was told and focused on keeping her balance as bullets flew over her shoulder and curved away from her back mere centimeters before impacting her armor. She glanced down at her wrist and noted the display there. She had three seconds left on the clock before the magnetic repulsion field would collapse. Her legs were already screaming in protest at the abuse, her lungs aflame from a lack of air, but she forced herself to move faster. She rounded the corner at the end of the hall at a breakneck pace and slammed her trinium alloy blade into the roving red eye of a Cylon standing in her way.

There was a grunt of pain and the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the ground… a body that wasn't made of metal. Despite orders to the contrary, Kimi skidded to a halt and looked back to see Oliver collapsed on the ground, blood pooling around him from what had to be a dozen bullets that had pierced his armor.

"Dammit, Lieutenant, I said run!" Oliver shouted through a grimace. Kimi nodded grimly then turned on her heel and disappeared with a pulse of energy.

"She won't make it off of this ship alive," an aging man said victoriously as the robot hoard approached from behind the Colonel.

The Colonel, still lying face down in the growing pool of crimson, laughed at the robot's words as he forced his body to move. He rolled over onto his back and looked up at the Skin Job. "I was like you once," Oliver said in a light tone as if they were merely talking and the man before him hadn't already taken an arrow through his head only to live again. "I thought she was weak, useless even, but she's not." The Centurions moved past him, still running, and followed Kimi down the hall. "She took everything I thought about her and threw it all back in my face the first chance she got. She's proven her combat efficacy more times than you've been, what do you call it, resurrected? Don't underestimate her. It'll be the last thing you do."

"You've overestimated her," the old man replied cruelly, "and it has proven to be the death of you," he said as he raised a pistol to the Colonel's head. There was a flash of light and a sonic boom before a supersonic metal slug tore through the old man's head. His body, for the second time that day, fell to the floor in a limp heap. This time, however, the force of the round passing through his body had taken the upper half of his torso with it. God explosive rounds were fun to play with!

"I assume you have an exit strategy?" Kimi asked as she deactivated her cloaking device and stood over him.

"We don't have time to find the jammer," Oliver grunted as he pulled a small sack from its placed tied to his belt. "Take this," he said as he handed the sack to the woman.

Kimi took one look inside of the bag and her eyes went wide with horror. "You want to use a breaching charge on a glass ship?!"

"On the glass of the glass ship, yes," Oliver replied as he struggled to pull his helmet over his head. "The Raptor will catch us and we'll be able to get the hell out of here before I bleed to death."

With a deep sigh, Kimi said, "This is why I hate going on missions with you. It always ends with something getting blown up. Something that usually involves me."

"Noticed that did you?" Oliver asked with a devilish smirk as Kimi helped him to his feet and helped him get his helmet on. The thick, trinium-alloy would seal hermetically with his armor and supply him with air. Granted the holes in his torso would cause a minor leak, but it would last long enough. Through the two eye holes, he could see just fine. The third 'eye' on his forehead was a zoom-able camera that recorded what he saw and made him look like a three eyed alien. He wasn't, of course.

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"_So what you're telling me is that they're refusing my orders,"_ Cain stated simply.

"They don't see why their pasts matter," Adama replied.

"_They're prisoners. They don't have a say in whether or not it matters. Tactical, give me a firing solution on the _Astral Queen_,"_ Cain ordered, her voice carrying over the still-open line.

"You can't be serious!" Roslin shouted at the woman's voice.

"_I assure you, Madam President, I am very serious."_

"_If you do this, it will be unforgiveable,"_ a new voice said as Colonel Davidson forced his way into the conversation.

"How is he even reaching us from that far away?" Saul asked Gaeta.

"I don't know," the Lieutenant replied as he looked over the DRADIS screen. As far as they could tell, the _Odyssey_ was still away on the mission to investigate the unknown Cylon vessel.

"_Using military weapons of war to attack an unarmed civilian ship will only cause the masses to panic. You're supposed to be an Admiral, not a tyrant,"_ Davidson challenged.

"_They're prisoners,"_ Cain countered.

"_They're still Human."_

"_They're the worst humanity has to offer,"_ Cain said in a tone of finality. _"Fire when ready."_

The _Pegasus_, lined up with the _Astral Queen_, fired a round from its main axial cannon. The round flew through space with an obvious target; the _Astral Queen_'s engine coupling. The round, which would've destroyed the ship had it impacted the intended target, disappeared in a flash long before it could reach the ship. In its place, a shimmer ran through empty space until a new ship was revealed. The _Odyssey_, now back on their DRADIS screens, stood between the _Astral Queen_ and the _Pegasus_.

"_No, Admiral, that title is reserved exclusively for you,"_ Davidson said in a tone of utter outrage. Then there was a flash of orange and a chunk of the _Pegasus_' starboard Viper bay blew apart as a hyperaccelerated round from the _Odyssey_'s own main gun tore through the armor with an unsettling ease.

*Unknown Cylon Vessel (Halls)*

With a boom that wasn't audible, the breaching charge detonated. As it was, the explosive decompression sucked the fire, noise, and two Humans out of the ship to where a Raptor was waiting to catch them. The force of their being blown out of the ship was enough to propel them right into the waiting shuttle's open door. With all of its passengers onboard, the Raptor spoiled up its FTL coils and prepared to leave.

A quick jump with the Colonial FTL system and the Raptor was back with the fleet… where the _Odyssey_ was being swarmed by Vipers. They arrived just as the fleet-wide broadcast went out.

"_By order of the President and a unanimous vote from the Quorum of Twelve, Admiral Cain you are hereby relieved of your command. For crimes against humanity you are to surrender yourself to the rightful authorities. Failure to comply will result in your execution,"_ President Roslin said in a tone that was very clearly unhappy with their current situation. She sounded like, if given the opportunity, she would put the bullet through Cain's head herself.

"Some serious shit went down while we were away," the DRADIS officer in the Raptor noted.

When no reply was forthcoming and the Vipers continued their assault against the _Odyssey_, Roslin made a very displeased sound before addressing the fleet again. _"Commander Adama, as the ranking officer in the fleet, you have the com."_

"_Stand down or you'll be trialed for treason,"_ Adama's gruff voice demanded. Again there was no response and now it was Adama's turn to make a noise of disappointment. _"Colonel Davidson, you have my permission to act as you see fit."_

In response to this order, the _Odyssey_'s 302 compliment thundered out of the hangar bays before looping around and taking up a defensive position around one of the ships in the civilian fleet. Once they were in position, the _Odyssey_ herself pushed forward with her sublight engines and approached the _Pegasus_, an ominous angel of death that the larger ship simply couldn't touch. No matter how many rounds the _Pegasus_ put into the _Odyssey_, it just kept coming.

Once the _Odyssey_ was hovering over the _Pegasus_, the Battlestar's dorsal guns unloading into the ventral surface of the smaller Battlecrusier, Cain finally spoke. _"Viper wing, stand down,"_ she ordered in a tone of defeat mixed with pain and confusion.

"What the hell?" Starbuck asked no one in particular from her place in the pilot's chair.

"Remember when we moved months-worth of food from the surface loading pad into the ships waiting in orbit and we did it all in a matter of seconds despite the drastic size of the load?" Kimi asked while doing her best to stop Oliver from bleeding out to which Starbuck nodded. "The system was originally designed as a troop deployment system. We call it 'Beaming'."

"So you… Beamed straight from the _Odyssey_ to the _Pegasus_?"

"Straight to the CIC would be more accurate," Oliver said with a grimace. "Can I go see a doctor now? All Kimi's doing is hurting me!"

"Sorry for trying to help!" Kimi said in an annoyed tone punctuated by a role of her eyes.


	13. Awakening

Chapter 12

Awakening

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Cyrannus Sector (Cylon Fleet)**

*_Cylon Colony_ (Consensus Room)*

"They just keep getting stronger," Six said with an air of mild impression.

"Cain is a stubborn one, always was," Two added. "It doesn't surprise me that they found each other. She followed the Resurrection Ship while it followed them. The only factor here that doesn't add up is the smaller one. I've never seen a Colonial ship with that much firepower."

"Firepower?" One asked in a disgusted tone. "That's not firepower, that's nuclear fire. One of those missiles can destroy two Baseships and damage a third. They took out an entire swarm of Raiders and two Baseships with one missile in the last engagement yet took no damage themselves."

"I believe now would be a good time to admit that we don't know what we're up against," Three stated.

"It's a Colonial ship with advanced weapons. That much is clear," Four said.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Eight countered. "The Colonials don't have the capabilities to produce a ship that powerful. If they did, they would've used it during the genocide."

"There's also the matter of the information the Centurions brought back," Six agreed. "The inside of that ship isn't at all what you'd expect of a Colonial vessel."

"And what of their anti-boarding party charging into a hangar open to space and not dying?" Eight continued.

"And the weapons they used?" Six added. "At least two of the members of their defense team were using weapons beyond what the Colonials can produce, one of which was something that looked like a directed energy weapon."

"Are you honestly trying to tell me that you believe in aliens?" One asked.

"Why not?" Six asked. "That ship didn't join the Colonial Fleet until nearly three days after they left the Cyrannus Sector. After that, they improved the Colonials' navigational computers enough to triple their jump distance, ran off to a habitable world where they stole food from the local populace which definitely wasn't Colonial, then jumped even further past the known limits of the Colonial jump-drive and started moving in a relatively straight line."

"So they went and stole food from an old Colonial prison colony. Big deal," One argued defiantly. "That hardly proves the existence of aliens."

"We are, at this point, arguing a needless point. The matter at hand isn't the existence of aliens, it's the destruction of humanity," Three said in an annoyed tone. "Let's just get to the part where we kill them all. I believe it's time that we stopped testing them and started getting serious about this. If we mobilize a full fleet against their forces, we can have the entirety of the Human race erased from existence inside of a week."

"I like the way you think, sister," One agreed with a dark smile. "Let's put it to a vote. Should we stop playing these childish games and mobilize a fleet, or should we investigate the existence of aliens?"

"I don't see why we can't do both," Six countered with a smirk. "Once they're dead, we can examine their corpses and see if they really are different from the Colonials."

"Then we do that," Three agreed to in an effort to stop the argument. "We have a sizable force within striking distance, but they're running low on fuel. As God would have it, we already have a Tylium mine established in that sector. After they refuel, the fleet can move to destroy the Colonials and their supposed alien allies."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Infirmary)*

When Colonel Davidson walked into the med bay, he, once again, got a look at Colonel Viride without his shirt on. This time, however, his view revealed the man's back. As if the front wasn't torn up enough, his back… that many scars would've killed Ian and he knew it.

"There's a saying where I'm from," Oliver was telling the doctor as the man in question wrapped his newest wounds. "SSDD."

"Same shit, different day," Davidson said as he approached the man's bed. "I would ask why you think that's an Italian saying, but you're not actually Italian, are you?"

"I'm a lot of things, Colonel," Oliver replied with a smirk. "First and foremost, I am Tau'ri. I assume we managed to keep losses to a minimum?"

"Seeing as how there's quite a few members of _Galactica_'s civilian and military personnel who want the Admiral dead, we're holding her on the _Odyssey_ for her own safety."

"That's not exactly the smartest move. I might get tempted to teach her a lesson or two about the value of life."

"To do so you'd have to compromise your morals and become the very thing you despise."

"I've done worse things in my life than torturing a guilty woman," the Colonel replied with a cold and distant edge to his tone.

"Something tells me not to doubt you on that," Davidson said with a nod. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been through worse."

"I don't doubt that either," Davidson said with a shake of his head. "I have a request for you."

"Need more of my men?" the Colonel asked.

"No," the Colonel replied. "I need you. Admiral Adama wants to plan out our assault on the Cylon… what did you call it again?"

"Resurrection Ship."

"Right. The Admiral wants it gone for obvious and understandable reasons. I need you take over for a few hours so that I can attend the war meeting."

"Why not Carter? Or Mitchell?"

"Sam's heading the repair effort and is in need of sleep herself, and Colonel Mitchell, as much as I respect the man, is a bit to trigger happy for my liking."

"Says the man who shot the _Pegasus_," the doctor said with a stern look at the Colonel.

"Commander… sorry, Admiral Adama told me exactly where to shoot the ship to cause easily repairable damage that wouldn't risk any deaths. We blew open the part of the hangar that's open to space twenty-four-seven. There was no one around to be hurt."

"I assume you're asking me to do this over your actual replacement for a reason?" Oliver asked as the doctor finished wrapping his chest.

"Of course," Davidson replied.

After a moment of silence, Oliver asked, "You're not going to tell me your reasons, are you?"

"Of course not," Davidson said in a neutral tone. "Report to the Bridge when you're done here," the Colonel ordered before turning to leave.

"You know what would be poetically just?" the doctor, whose name Oliver had yet to catch, asked as the Colonel pulled his shirt on over his head. "Why don't we lock the bitch up on the _Astral Queen_ with the very people she tried to kill? That way they can tell her their name and reason for being locked up on the ship in person before they tear her to pieces for being an attempted mass murderer."

Oliver blinked at the man dumbly then shook his head. "And I thought doctors were supposed to have an unshakable code of ethics."

"Only as unshakable as their leader's," the doctor countered as he finished putting away the extra gauze.

"Two wrongs don't make a right," Oliver pointed out before standing to leave. He made it a few steps before Jack came running into the room. "Don't!" Oliver began, but it was too late. Jack already had her hand drawn back. The only thing stopping her from slapping him was the fact that Tommy was still physically stronger than her.

"Why do you insist on getting yourself into these situations? Do you have a death wish or something!?" Jack roared as she tried to pull her hand out of Tommy's iron grip.

With a sigh, Oliver said, "No, Jack, I don't **want** to die. You have no semblance of stealth, and infiltrating an unknown ship requires more than just raw power. Kimi and I are the only ones on this team that were children of the shadows before we started walking around in the light of day. It's nothing personal, I assure you."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Jack grumbled darkly.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Office of Homeworld Security (Commanding Officer's Office)*

"What do you mean the _Daedalus_ was delayed?" Jack asked in a tone of outrage.

"You authorized them to stay behind and finish fixing their hull. I believe your exact words after receiving the damage report were, 'With the Asgard coming, we won't really need them.' After that you said something about coffee. It was yesterday and it was really early in the morning," his assistant replied in a level tone. She was a hard one to rattle.

"Oh," Jack said, his memory of the past finally catching up to the present. It was still early in the morning and he still needed coffee. "What about the Asgard? They promised us a ship how long ago and they're not here yet?"

"According to Commander Thor, they had to switch out the ship's crew before it could depart. The original plan was to just send one ship and its crew, then the thought of the _Odyssey_ being damaged crossed his mind. Due to the lack of familiarity with Human systems amongst the Asgard's top scientists, a specialist had to be recalled from the field."

"A specialist?"

"They're sending Hermiod as he's the most familiar with our systems. The problem there is that he was away on a mission when they recalled him. When it became clear that recalling him from the edges of Ida was going to take longer than even the Commander was willing to wait, they reproduced his clone and sent a copy along with the ship."

"So there's two copies of Hermiod running around the universe right now?" Jack asked in a tone that indicated he thought that was a great idea for winning wars.

"Temporarily, yes," his assistant replied. "The digital copy they keep of all of their people can only sustain one organic form at a time, so it's putting stress on Hermiod's mind. If the extra clone isn't killed off within a month, both of the clones will suffer serious brain hemorrhaging and die a death that will destroy the digital copy of their minds. In other words, if they don't find the _Odyssey_ soon, Hermiod will die a very real death."

"Damn, that's harsh," Jack said in a far more level tone. "Let me know when they get here."

No sooner had he said it than it happened. There was a flash of light and the General was gone. His assistant, who was well informed of the General's reputation for being beamed away when aliens got into orbit, rolled her eyes and turned her chair back around to face her desk. "They don't pay me enough for this shit," she mumbled under her breath as she hit the internal comms. "The CO has left the building. XO Keith has the deck."

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_Quaero_ (Bridge)*

General O'Neill appeared on the Bridge of an obviously Asgard ship of a design he had never seen before. It was definitely strange, even by the Asgard's standards. He took a look around the Bridge and, upon finding the palest of the gray men, smiled. "Hermiod! Good to see ya!"

"O'Neill," the little gray man said in reply. "Commander Thor sends his apologies for not coming in person, but events in Ida require his attention."

"That's understandable. Honestly, I'm just glad you're here. When can you set off?"

"As soon as we have the course the _Odyssey_ was set to take. We will begin by scanning the area around the planet they were investigating then proceed along the most logical course variants until the ship and her crew have been recovered."

"The bunker under the surface of the planet was supposed to hold technology that would help us fight the Ori…"

"This is not a vessel of war."

"I know," Jack said in a placating tone. "I wouldn't ask you to take on an Ori Mothership with only one O'Neill even if there was a **guarantee** of finding weapons there. My point is that the Ori might still be in orbit of the planet searching for the bunker. If you approach the planet, be careful."

Hermiod nodded in reply and pressed a button on his chair. Jack reappeared exactly where he had been standing before and his assistant, still unfazed by the whole situation, hit the internal comms. "The CO has returned. XO Keith stands relieved." She didn't even look up from her computer to acknowledge the situation. She just went back to work.

"You need a vacation," Jack said as he walked back behind his desk.

"I've been saying that for the past three months," the woman agreed.

"You **seriously** need a vacation," Jack reiterated.

"This place would fall apart the moment I left."

"I can't argue with that."

*****Milky Way Galaxy (Orion Arm)*****

****P3X-727 (Surface)****

*****_**Paciscor of Nex**_** (Computer Core) [one week earlier]***

The third impact to the shield caused a massive power drop that had Widget scratching his head. Even a weapon that powerful shouldn't have caused that level of power drop with the amount of dust, dirt, and rock protecting the hull. Then he noticed the annoying organic poking around the computers. She was bringing more systems online and the generator wasn't ready for it. _'Stupid organics,'_ Widget thought to himself. _'If they wanted to leave I would've let them.'_

He sighed to himself before disabling the jammer they were so desperately trying to bypass then immediately redeployed it once they were gone and undid all that the woman had done. Now the attacking ship was sure to have seen them and that meant that sitting here and waiting for the attack to end would be pointless. No one ever walked away once they saw him. They were always too afraid to turn their backs.

The ground that encased him was already falling apart under the assault. At least their attacks would help him break free. Cracking his nonexistent knuckles and rolling his nonexistent neck, Widget sent the power up order to the main reactor. Like a star being born in the deepest depths of space, the quartet of fusion cores flared to life with a burst of light, heat, and radiation. The containment fields came online a second later and the radiation levels dropped to a manageable level as the newborn stars at the heart of his immortal form began to beat like his hearts. Energy poured through the power conduits like blood pumped through veins and the shield's power increased until the ground shook no more. The preparations were nearly finished, but one piece was still needed.

The Organic Key.

Deep within the heart of the massive structure that is He, the sole remaining member of his creating race awoke from his never-ending slumber. Stretching every limb of his aching body, Sieon Synipulous mumbled through a yawn, "Widget, what's going on? We're not scheduled to return for another," checking the ship's chronological log he finished, "twenty-two centuries."

Appearing in the stasis room as a glowing body, the holographic avatar of the ship's AI replied, _"We've got trouble."_ His body burst into a flurry of lights before retaking the form of the ship in orbit and the planet below. The ship firing on the planet in holographic form was enough to get the organic moving.

"What's our status?" the smelly sack of flesh asked.

"_After a group of organics consistent with known DNA profiles of a race known as 'Humans' came through and started poking around, another unknown ship arrived in orbit. After chasing off the Humans, it then proceeded to launch fighters and land troops on the surface firing down at us the whole time."_

"Shield status?"

"_Fully functional and preforming admirably considering the fact that the emitters are all still retracted into the hull."_

"So we're running at fifty percent?"

"_Try closer to twenty. At this point the planet is protecting us more than the shield is."_

"Did you bring the reactors online?"

"_No,"_ Widget answered in a serious tone as the organic rushed to put on his armor. _"Doing so would've been detrimental to our continued survival. How could a surplus of energy surging into the primary defensive system for this ship ever help anything when we're being attacked?"_

The organic stopped moving as he pulled a boot over his foot. "I almost took you seriously."

Widget shrugged his holographic shoulders and brought up a display panel that would move with the duo as the organic continued to run around the ship gathering things. _"You need to wake up now. I can't do anything else until you unlock my access to the systems."_

With a deep sigh, Sieon asked, "Why can't people just leave me alone?"

"_Because your personality leaves a lot to be desired."_ The organic had but one reply. He blinked. _"That was a joke,"_ was Widget's dry response before his avatar vanished though the display panel stayed there for the organic to 'take with him.'

The life-support systems reactivated with a cough that Widget credited to the millions of years of dust accumulation that had begun to circulate through the powerful filters. Making his way to the Combat Information Center of the ship, the organic started to reactivate the Neural Interface Network, otherwise called the NIN. Walking up to the Control Chair, he sat down and input the last command to activate the ship's link to his mind. With the NIN online, he could control the ship with his mind from anywhere. Well, anywhere on the ship at least.

"_All systems, both primary and secondary, are coming back online quite nicely despite having been powered down for so long. Sub-light engines will be ready for use in two-and-a-half-minutes, weapons will be fully charged in three, shields are online now with only a few of the emitters having been damaged, life-support is at one-hundred percent but I'm still keeping most of the ship depressurized until needed, sensors are fully active and scanning the unknown ship in orbit, communications are in need of repairs as a few of the relays overloaded and the antennas were also damaged, and the FTL drive won't be online for approximately one galactic-standard day,"_ Widget said as the systems reported their status to him and he compressed the report for the sake of the organic's sanity.

A moment later there was a loud pop and the ship's power consumption dropped by thirty percent. _"Amendment. The FLT drive won't be working for at least __**two**__ galactic-standard days. One of the power couplings just overloaded. It's an easy fix, but I have to disable the power flow for the duration of the repairs which means I'll have to bring the drive online from scratch as opposed to brining it online from a state of extended stand-by."_

"There's so much joy to be found in the company of the living," Sieon said darkly.

****P3X-727 (Orbit)****

***Ori Mothership (Bridge) [a few seconds before the **_**Odyssey**_** escaped]***

"Prior, the jamming field has been disabled and the Tau'ri's target has been identified. It is a massive vessel much larger than our own," the sensors' operator said with fear evident in his voice.

"Hold your fear. The Ori shall protect those who walk the path to enlightenment."

"The Tau'ri vessel has escaped into hyperspace. Our brothers and sisters are giving chase," another worshiper announced.

"Target vessel has broken through the surface of the planet. They're making for orbit."

"Our weapons have struck the enemy vessel," the weapons officer said much more calmly.

The Ori Mothership fired its main weapons, each thick, orange beam of energy being harmlessly absorbed by the approaching ship's shields. Then it returned fire. A single black beam lanced out of the front of the opposing ship. Passing right through the Ori's shields, shields that had held back the combined fleets of this entire galaxy, the beam struck the hull and started to disintegrate the ship, both inside and out, eating its way through the armor as if it wasn't there at all. Anything the beam touched seemed to be consumed, almost as if the beam was devouring the ship. Then the Prior saw a truly sickening sight. One of his faithful worshipers was blown out of the ship by explosive decompression. When his lifeless arm passed through the beam, the energy seemed to crawl across the poor man's body like a swarm of insects, eating the dead man's mortal form until nothing was left, not even the barest of traces.

Seeing the sight made him panic. Jumping out of his chair the Prior shouted, "Jump us into hyperspace! Get us out of here!" The crew of his ship scrambled frantically to carry out his orders. Banking away from the attack proved to be a horrible mistake, however. Not only did it expose new armor to the horrendous beam, but it also exposed the power core. When the beam of black light made contact with the glowing orb of white light at the center of the Ori Mothership, the light of the core turned first gray, then rapidly changed to black as the beam consumed the power core, then exploded in a magnificent pseudo-supernova that destroyed half of the nearby moon before slamming into the planet. After that, the energy wave moved outward until it came just short of affecting the system's star. It did, however, send the planet, cracked and burning, hurtling into the star at a speed that would have it consumed by the boiling mass of plasma within the week, chunks of the crust breaking off as the planet sped off towards its doom.

The only peace the Prior could find was in the thought of the enemy having died with them. There wasn't anything in this galaxy or the next that could've survived such a blast.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [present day]*

"I understand that Colonel Davidson has you monitoring the Cylon forces guarding the Resurrection Ship, but I want an active scan of our sensors' maximum effective range every ten minutes. Start with the fleet then go out as far as you can. If the Cylons are waiting for reinforcements I want to know that they're coming before they get within FTL range," Colonel Viride ordered as he sat in the command chair.

"Anything else?" Marks asked.

"What more is there to say? We're following whatever course the Admiral gives us so there's not much I can say that hasn't already been said. Just don't hit any of the civvies."

"Fair enough," Marks replied with a nod before carrying out the new set of orders."

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (War Room)*

"If we don't take out their FTL coils in the first strike then they'll run the moment they see the _Odyssey_," Lee Adama said.

"Why do you say that?" Davidson asked.

"Forget _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_, they're just Battlestars, but the _Odyssey_? They've learned to fear her. You singlehandedly took out five Baseships without help or getting a scratch on your armor. You then proceeded to pull our asses out of the fire and everyone in this fleet and beyond knows that your nuclear missiles are more powerful than ours," Saul replied.

"They'll swarm the _Odyssey_ the moment she arrives and put as many Baseship between us and that ship as they can. If I'm right about how this ship works…" Gabi began.

"And it's safe to say you are," Baltar begrudgingly admitted.

"As long as that thing's intact, it'll store the memories of the dead until they can be uploaded into a new body."

"So it's like the Asgard, but they're trying to kill us instead of helping us?" Davidson asked much to the confusion of most of the people in the room.

"Which means it's more like the Human-form Replicators, but it gets worse," Gabi corrected him.

"The ship also produces their organic Cylons, the ones with skin," Baltar continued.

"That means that it might have the means to mine raw materials, which means it probably has a factory in it, which means that they can build the Centurions and Raiders aboard that ship and use them to replenish what the Baseships lose in combat. As we've already determined, the Baseship, like the Hiveships, are a cybernetically-enhanced organic blend which means that, like the Wraith, their ships can heal theirselves overtime. It also means that they might actually grow their Baseships in a similar fashion to how the Wraith grow their Hives."

"So destroying this **one** ship eliminates their ability to produce more soldiers and fighters, eliminates their war factory, makes them mortal, and might even get them to back off?" Commander Jack Fisk, the _Pegasus_'s new CO, asked. "Well what the frak are we waiting for then?!"

"A plan that gets us in and out before the fleet can be attacked. If they send more Baseships after the fleet while we're dealing with the Resurrection Ship's guardian fleet, they might be overwhelmed depending on how we do this. That having been said, we have limited options. We can send every ship we have on the assault, including the civvies so that they're safely within monitoring range while we're killing the Toasters, we can leave them behind and only take the warships and hope the civilians don't get attacked, or we can split our war capacity between the offenders and the defenders," Davidson said.

"Here's the problem with each plan," Lee began. "If we take everyone, the Cylons have us all in one place and can launch an attack…"

"Which would be unlikely since we'd be the offenders," Gabi pointed out.

"Yes, but they could ignore the warship and jump past us to attack the fleet. If they did that, we'd have to break off the assault to guard a fleet of ships with a bunch of inoperable FTL coils," Saul countered. "That puts our backs to the wall and allows their forces to retreat whenever they feel like it. If it comes to that, they'll know we're after their ship and they'll pull back to the edge of its range and leave us right back where we were; them chasing and us running."

"The next plan has a blaringly obvious weakness. It involves leaving the fleet defenseless, and if even one Baseship breaks off combat with us to target the fleet, they'll either be wiped out or they'll scatter. We can't leave them undefended like that," Lee continued.

"That leaves the third plan. Splitting our war potential," Adama stated.

"The _Odyssey_, for all her speed and power, is not a defensive ship," Lee immediately pointed out. "I've noticed that most of her guns face forward. That's a trait that means she's an attacker, not a defender. She was designed to hunt and kill, am I right?"

Davidson nodded in reply and made a mental note that he liked this kid. "In the last engagement with the Cylons, the only reason the _Odyssey_ managed to defend the civilian fleet as well as we did was because we took out the Baseships before their numbers could overwhelm us. If we had fought like you, if we had stayed between them and the fleet and acted defensively, we would've failed. Your assumption is correct; the _Odyssey_ should be part of the assault team."

"Then the _Pegasus_ or _Galactica_ will have to stay behind and defend the fleet," Fisk more stated than asked.

"The _Pegasus_ is the newer model of Battlestar with the most recent advances in weapons and armor. I recommend we use that to our advantage," Lee said.

"We should use their fears to our advantage as well," Gabi added as she activated a holographic recording of the Cylon fleet as it was the last time they scanned it. "If the _Odyssey_ jumps in first and attacks from their forward flank in relevance to the way the Resurrection Ship is facing," Gabi began as a model of the _Odyssey_ appeared in the indicated position, "it should draw their fire forward. If the _Pegasus_ then joins in the assault, it should be enough to get their Baseships to move into a defensive position that will leave the Resurrection Ship unguarded from behind. At that moment, a Raptor should be able to jump in behind them and take out their FTL coils. Once that's done, we have them with their backs against the wall instead of the other way around."

"If they can't run, they'll have to fight. If they fight, they'll lose," Lee finished.

'_Aren't they a cocky bunch?'_ the blonde woman in the red dress whispered in his ear. _'Win a few engagements and think it's the turning of the tide of war. They won't survive what comes next if they succeed.'_

"Why not?" Gaius whispered back.

'_There's more than one Resurrection Ship. There's always more than one. Destroying this one will be considered the murder of a very large number of Cylons. The Collective won't stand for that.'_

"What about the possibility of a counter attack?" Baltar asked the room at large. "If there's more than one ship, don't we risk the Cylons getting pissed and sending more ships to attack us? What if attacking this one fleet puts three more on our tails?"

"He does have a point," Gabi admitted. "Even the Asgard have multiple computer servers across their territory where copies of their people are held. The technology they use to bring their fallen people back from the dead is a network of smaller pieces. Because their subspace communicators are less developed than ours, it's safe to assume that the Cylons are bound to have more than one Resurrection Ship."

"So we just let them keep following us?" Fisk asked.

"We've increased the range of travel per jump the fleet is capable of. Even if the Cylons send another three fleets after us, they'll have to try to catch up to a fleet moving nearly as fast as they do, and since we're already ahead of all but this fleet, it's highly unlikely that they'd be able to catch up to us even if they did send more reinforcements," Gabi countered.

"How do we know that this is the only ship near us?" Baltar essentially repeated the question from the woman no one else could see.

"The _Odyssey_ would be able to detect any other ships in range," Davidson replied.

"That's… debatable," Gabi countered. "We have a limited range of detection, and each jump we make takes us past that range. We're essentially discovering new territory every time we make the trip through subspace. We scan ahead, jump past the furthest point we've scanned, and, when scanning backwards, we don't scan the same area we were just in. It's like a circle with a twelve foot radius and we're the tiny pinpoint in the center," she explained as Davidson gave her a confused look. "Every jump into hyperspace takes us twenty-five feet which is more than double our circle's radius which means that the circles never overlap. If they don't overlap, then you're essentially in a new circle every time… and I lost you already."

"Not as good an analogy as Carter tends to give," Davidson agreed.

Gabi shrugged in reply. "I tend to work with the lab rats more than the soldiers. They don't need analogies."

"If I understand correctly," Baltar began, "The Cylons could be thirteen feet away and you wouldn't be able to detect them because you can only scan twelve feet in any direction."

"Yes, but replace feet with light-years and you've got a more accurate scale," Gabi said.

"Why didn't you just say that to begin with?" Davidson asked.

"She did," Baltar replied. "I understood it at any rate. Either way, it means that there could be an entire armada just beyond your sensors range and we'd never know it."

"_DRADIS contact,"_ Lieutenant Gaeta announced over the ship's internal comms system. _"The Raptor scouting party has returned."_

"Here's hoping they found something," Saul said and the room was filled with grumbles of approval. Since the Cylons weren't attacking them anymore and they had a bit of breathing room, Adama had sent out scouting parties to look for raw minerals and Tylium, the two most badly needed materials for the fleet.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Orion Arm)***

**P3X-727 (Surface)**

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (FTL Drive Core)*

"_According to your biometrics, you're angry,"_ Widget's voice said in his ear.

"You said this would take a day," Sieon replied as he continued to dig around in the guts of the ship's FTL drive. "It's been two galactic-standard weeks!"

"_It's not my fault the people of this time have developed light matter energy cores. Had I known that, I would've forgone the option of bypassing their shields and just hammered away at them with the plasma cannons instead of using the warp beam."_

"What's the status of the repair drones?"

"_Two of them are currently working on getting the sublight drive repaired while the other three that I have working are slowly repairing the damage to the hull. On the bright side, I've got the shields working again which means that we can convert the field."_

"Then do it," Sieon grunted as he cut a section of burnt wiring out of place and began replacing it. "If anyone comes looking for that ship, we'll be stuck in one place with all this damage. At least cloaking us will reduce the odds of discovery until we can get the systems working again."

"_I did that already,"_ the AI replied in bored tone. _"We've been cloaked for the past hour."_

"Then what are you doing to help now?"

"_Running scans of the solar system in an attempt to find a piece of planet that still has enough raw material to be worth sending the mining drones after it. I found a rather promising chunk two seconds ago and needed you to unlock the external doors."_

"Do it yourself."

"_You haven't given me access to those systems yet."_

"Why the hell not?" Sieon asked in an annoyed tone as he brought up a holographic interface with his armor's built-in holoprojectors.

"_Rana feared my temper leading to the decision to open the ship to space in an effort to kill you."_

"She was always a paranoid one."

"_And yet you married her."_

"Paranoid and beautiful," Sieon said with a fondness in his tone. "There," he said after inputting his access codes nearly twenty times, "you should have unrestricted access to the systems now."

"_Opening external airlock doors now, please hold,"_ Widget said in reply.

"Hold for what?"

"_I have to override the safeties so that I can open the internal airlock doors and keep the blastdoors from closing while the external doors are still open."_ Sieon looked from the work he was doing and stared into the camera that the AI used to see what was happening around the ship. _"That was a joke."_

"You're in a lovely mood."

"_Being alone for that long takes its toll on a man,"_ the AI replied in a serious tone.

"You're not a man," Sieon countered before refocusing on his work.

"_That doesn't mean I don't get lonely. You could've programmed a nice looking VI with bright amber eyes, long dark hair…"_ the AI's statement was cut off when Sieon deactivated the speakers in the area of the ship he was in and went back to work. He'd have to do something to adjust the personality matrix if this kept up.

Barely audible due to the distance and only possible because the speaker was dialed up to near the level at which it would blow, Widget added, _"When you're done playing with the FTL drive, the air filters need to be replaced and I don't have a spare drone to get it done."_


	14. The Hand of God Part 1: Dying for a Caus

Chapter 13

The Hand of God Part 1

_Dying for a Cause_

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"Pause, rewind, and play it back slower," Oliver ordered.

With a deep breath and a forced application of her mental breaks, Gabi began again. "There's a Tylium mine not far from here that the Cylons have set up. It's fully functional which saves us the time and energy of setting it up ourselves. All we'd have to do is get rid of the Cylons, hook up the refinery ship, and start pumping the stuff into their storage tanks. If we do, we'll have the fuel the fleet needs to keep moving for years of constant jumping. It would solve one of the three most pressing issues we're facing."

"We're already planning an assault on the Resurrection Ship and now you want to plan an assault on a Cylon mine as well? Aren't we already pushing it a little close to insanity as it is?" Donnelly asked from his spot at the tactical station.

"So we take it in stages and we'll be fine," Davidson countered. Oliver scuffed at that. "What?"

"If we attack the ship first, the mine knows we're coming. If we attack the mine first, they all get downloaded into new bodies and they're back in the fight," the scared man replied.

"Not if the Resurrection Ship and the mine are attacked in a close timeframe," Davidson insisted. Now it was Gabi who made a noise of uncertainty. "What do I not know?" Davidson asked.

"Resurrection Ships have a powerful, by Goa'uld standards, subspace transmitter and receiver. It's possible that, if the Resurrection Ship is destroyed after we raid the mine, any of the Cylons on the ship will be able to transmit their minds to another ship. It's like cell service," Gabi said in a teacher's tone as she explained it. "If we destroy the ship before we attack the mine there'll be a dead spot in the network like a cell tower that's under repair and down for the time it takes. Alternatively, if we attack the mine first, then their call can be forwarded to the nearest operational cell tower. The coverage might be spotty which is to say that they might not be all there when they download again, but that type of damage is like static over a phone line. It's easily fixed. We have to create the dead zone before we kill them or they'll just pass the call to another cell tower."

Davidson looked over to Viride who was shaking his head. "She has a habit of over-explaining things, but she is right."

"But if we destroy the ship first we'll face more resistance at the mine. The Cylons will actually be trying to stay alive until another ship gets into range. I've found that anything that has an instinctual desire to live has the tendency to fight harder," Davidson said.

"That leaves us with one viable option," Gabi said matter-of-factly. "A coordinated, simultaneous assault on two targets."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P3X-727 (Orbit)**

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Computer Core)*

The universe is alive. The humming in his ears is its music. The heat of the stars is its heartbeat. The energy flowing through the cosmos is its blood. He was programed not to be conceded, but this must be how a god felt. He could look down at all of creation. He could hear every word spoken no matter the language. He could see every event no matter the distance… but his eyes were not natural.

This thought depressed him. He was alone in this vast universe for which he was an overseer. To be alone was his destiny. Never would there exist a being that could understand his sadness. He had company, but the more people that talked to him, the more alone he felt. They could not fathom the depth of his existence. They were organic, and he was machine.

"_I've reestablished the connection to the Network,"_ he informed the organic who had had a hand in bringing him into this cursed existence of endless loneliness.

"What's the status?" The organic's words were familiar to him. He spoke them too often.

"_I've already confirmed five-hundred-seventy-two satellites destroyed, five-hundred-seventy of which were a simple matter of powering up their secondary. Then time continued flow and those started dropping off the grid as well. There are massive blanks, shadows too deep for me to see into. From what I've been able to get from the diagnostic systems, only two of the satellites are reparable at this point. The rest will have to be replaced. One of them is nearby. The other is across the galaxy."_

"The satellite for this sector is down?"

"_Yes."_

"For how long?"

"_Two-thousand, nine-hundred-seventy-two galactic-standard years. There was a supernova formed in the system that blew it off course and damaged its arrays. I lost contact with the secondary for this sector a couple hundred years ago as well."_

"So we've been in the dark for that long?"

"_Not all that is unknown is darkness."_ There was a shift in his perception as he pulled himself back from the network of satellites that spanned the galaxy and let his eyes see all. He returned to his body then looked inward. The organic was moving. _"The repairs to that system are still incomplete."_

"I know," the organic replied.

"_The bulkhead to that area of the ship was fused shut by the explosion."_

"I know."

"_Life-support in that area of the ship is still not functioning at habitable levels."_

"I know."

"_There is radiation in that part of the ship that your suit will not protect you from."_

"I know."

"_Then why do you continue to attempt to access to the Core Room?"_

"Because you need to sleep," the organic replied as he vanished from one part of the ship and appeared in another.

It was then that he started to feel his energy drain away as his mind was disabled, one switch at a time. _"I'll leave a list."_ Those were the last words he spoke before a list of all necessary repairs was uploaded to the organic's suit and the last of his capacity for conscious thought was taken from him. Now he had entered the realm of his 'subconscious mind.'

It was a mess!

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Resurrection Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"We launch in three… two… one… execute," Davidson ordered. The _Odyssey_ dropped her cloak and reentered the realm of the visible as a flight of Vipers thundered out of her starboard 302 bay and her railguns opened fire. The first rounds of her opening assault took the first Baseship off-guard and left one of its arms engulfed in flames as the Raider bay caused secondary explosions across that arm. "Ready for phase two," Davidson continued as the Raiders and Vipers closed in on each other.

Outside of the _Odyssey_'s viewports, the Baseships in the Resurrection Ship's fleet were moving to intercept them. The Baseship furthest from them jumped into FTL and appeared on her rear flank, missiles already flying, and opened the final door.

"Execute," Davidson ordered over the comms channel. Eight hyperspace windows opened in the area the Baseship had just vacated and deposited the 302s from the starboard hangar bay. They were positioned behind the Resurrection Ship itself, and, with all of the Baseships doing their best to waylay the _Odyssey_, the infamous vessel's FTL coils were left exposed.

"Target FTL drive is offline," Marks reported as the 302s shot a missile into the FTL coils while the others unloaded their own railguns into the glass hull before blowing past the poorly armored ship and firing a barrage of missiles at the rear flank of the Baseships.

The _Odyssey_'s tactical officer had been targeting the Raider bays on the arms in an effort to keep the fighters from launching in the first place, but even with that effort the 302s were outnumbered. That's why they had emptied a 302 bay to make room for Viper pilots who were experienced in fighting the enemy.

"Get me a line on that ship," Donnelly more ordered than requested. Nevertheless, Marks was happy to accommodate the man.

**Tylium Mine (Surrounding Minefield)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (War Room)*

"Jump complete, sir. DRADIS reports nothing but hash," Lieutenant Gaeta reported as they dropped out of FTL. "Just as we expected, we can't see a thing. We are now within launch range of the Cylon base."

Over the radio, they could all hear the decoy ships carrying out their orders. _"_Carrier Constellation_, jump complete on station, point deacon. Initiate search pattern Delta."_

"_Ore flight Bravo. Delta, WILCO."_

"_Ore flight Nebula, Delta initiated."_

"The ball's in play. You can bet they heard that," Adama said. "Now they'll try to locate the decoys."

"And when they do?" Laura asked.

"If they take the bait, all hell breaks loose.

"Until then?"

"We wait."

"Bringing tactical display online now," Gabi said as she activated the system she had put together in _Galactica_'s War Room from what seemed to be scraps. The holographic projector flared to life and they were given a live feed of the area. Since their DRADIS scans were essentially useless with all the hash, they were being fed information from the Raptors positioned around the system. Adama had to admit, he was impressed with the woman's work.

_"_Galactica_, Boomer. Tally, ninety-plus headed Deacon, speed: two-fifty,"_ the Raptor pilot reported.

_"The Cylons have seen the freighter. They're en route to intercept,"_ Crashdown, Boomer's copilot, added.

"They took the bait. Mr. Gaeta, launch Strike Force one," Adama ordered.

"Aye, sir. D, launch Strike Force one," the Lieutenant said into the headset he was wearing.

"_Attention: Pilots, man your planes. Pilots, man your planes,"_ Dualla ordered from her place in the CIC._  
><em>

"How hard did they bite?" Starbuck asked.

"Boomer's report said ninety-plus. They've launched most of their fighter force," Adama replied.

"Our attack force is away," Lieutenant Gaeta reported as the Vipers left the firing tubes.

"I just hope that Lee can…" Starbuck trailed off.

"Lee isn't the problem," the Admiral said as he looked to the young woman. "You should take a good look at yourself. I had to go through the same transition. When you're in the cockpit, you're in control. It's hard to give it up."

"It would just be a lot easier if I was flying with them," Starbuck insisted as she rubbed her still injured knee.

"All you can do now is wait and hope you didn't make any mistakes," Adama said solemnly.

"I never wanted this kind of responsibility."

"The Cylons never asked us what we wanted. Welcome to the big leagues."

"Galactica_, Crashdown. Tally fifty-plus on an intercept course. Repeat, fifty-plus inbound."_

"What's that mean?" Baltar asked as he nervously paced around the War Room.

"It means that a Cylon patrol spotted our attack force. The base sent out fifty more Raiders to intercept," Starbuck explained.

"Fifty raiders?" Baltar asked in a panic. "That means we're outnumbered now… five-to-one?"

"Weren't the decoys supposed to take care of that?" the President asked.

"Cylons are too smart for that," Adama countered.

"Frak," Starbuck swore. This was her plan. Her mistakes.

"_Estimated time to Strike intercept: two minutes,"_ Dualla reported._  
><em>

The fighters' chatter was the next thing they all heard. _"Fireball, multiple bandits, left, ten high. Range forty, weapons free, committing."_

"_Hotdog, visual tally, press."_

"_Hotdog, break right!"_

"_Fireball, your six!"  
><em>

"_I'm hit, I'm hit! Can't eject!"_

"_Deadbolt, Spinner, two bandits closing in, right five."  
><em>

"_No joy, no joy. Aaahh!"  
><em>

The holographic images moving on the table gave an uncomfortably real in-the-moment feeling to the whole thing, and Starbuck's face at the sight of Fireball's Viper disappearing in a cloud of flames was not one he ever wanted to see again. She wasn't ready for the realities of command.

"Galactica_, Hotdog. Heavily engaged, mission outcome doubtful."_

"This sounds frakking awful," Baltar exclaimed.

"They're getting cut to pieces out there," Starbuck agreed.

"_Deadbolt, break vertical, now, now, now!"  
><em>

"_Damn it, take the shot, get him off me...!"  
><em>

"This is why I hate wars," Gabi mumbled to herself as she kept feeding information to the computers and making sure the connection stayed stable. She was working with a custom-built system she had put together in a matter of hours that was barely holding together, but she would make sure that _Galactica_ didn't stay blind even if it meant she had to whiteness the deaths of the pilots. The anguish she felt, however, paled in comparison to the look on Starbuck's face as she rubbed her temples.

"Mr. Gaeta, abort Strike One," Adama ordered.

The order went from Adama to Gaeta then over the wireless network to D who then sent it across the comm channel to the strike team. "_Strike One, _Galactica_. Return to base. Repeat: abort your mission and return to base."_

"Galactica_, Stubbs. Cylon strike force is turning away from Deacon and inbound to _Galactica_."_

"The Cylons heard our transmission recall, didn't they?" Roslin asked.

"Does that mean the first wave of Raiders is ignoring the decoys and is… is coming after us?" Baltar asked, his tone nearing a panic.

"That's exactly what it means," Adama answered as he watched the Raiders near the civilian freighters break off and turn around.

"So when are we going to launch the reserve Vipers to defend _Galactica_?" Baltar asked, his tone becoming more frantic.

"There are no reserve Vipers. Everything is on the board already. Now we play for all the marbles. Starbuck, it's your plan."

Starbuck walked across the room to where the Lieutenant was standing and said, "Mr. Gaeta, will you please tell D to get on the scrambler and inform Apollo 'the back door is open'?"

"Aye, Lieutenant. D, please send a scrambler to Captain Apollo. Message reads: 'The back door is open'," Gaeta said into the headset.

The order went over the line and the projector system zoomed in on the civilian freighters. One of the cargo canisters attached to the side of one freighter blew off to reveal twelve Vipers hiding inside of the ship.

Roslin looked shocked at the turn of events as she turned to Starbuck. "Lieutenant Thrace, why didn't you tell me we had another attack force hidden in the freighters?"

Starbuck gave a stuttered reply before Adama answered for her. "It was my decision. I routinely restrict tactical details to those who need to know. I didn't inform Colonel Davidson or Commander Fisk either. Old habits die hard."

"So you still might pull this off," Laura said, a hint of a smile ghosting across her face.

"If Dr. Baltar's target information is correct," Adama replied as everyone looked to Baltar who looked very nervous.

"And whether we get blown to pieces by those Cylon raiders heading toward us right now," Starbuck added.

"Speaking of which, I'm needed in CIC," Adama said before leaving the room.

**Dead Space (Resurrection Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"If that ship jumps out of here it'll be headed to one of two locations. Either to _Galactica_ and the mine, or _Pegasus_ and the fleet," Colonel Viride said as the last Baseship spoiled up its FTL coils.

As if in answer to his warning, one of the Vipers managed to slip a missile past the Raiders and blow a hole in the area of the ship where the liquid fuel was stored. That was shortly followed up by a rocket fired by a 302. The Tylium reserves went up in flames and the ship went down with them.

"You were saying, Colonel?" Davidson asked, a smile on his face.

"Every now and then being wrong is a good thing," Oliver replied.

"Marks, recall our fighters. We're done here."

"Aye, sir…" Marks began before trailing off. "Hold on, I've got a contact on the long-range sensors."

**Tylium Mine (Point Deacon)**

*Viper 2220 (Cockpit)*

"Initial point in five seconds. Flak suppression unit cleared hot. Okay, let's do this," Apollo read off as his attack force moved in from the unguarded flank… or so they thought. "Incoming, incoming!" Apollo shouted into the line as an anti-aircraft missile pod fired a swarm of missiles at them from behind. Despite their best efforts to dodge, however, Lee caught a glimpse of one of his Vipers getting hit beside him. "Weapons free. By the numbers, people."

"_Target acquired, tone and lock. Firing,"_ Stepchild reported as she fired her guided missiles.

"_Tone and lock. Firing,"_ Kat added as she did the same. The missiles approached the mine in a straight line until veering off target for no reason. _"What's got into these frakking missiles?"_

"_They're jamming the guidance systems!"_ Stepchild replied in a pissed-off tone.

"Strike Two, Apollo. Then we get close enough that we don't need the guidance systems. We have to blow this thing manually."

"_WILCO, Apollo. Rolling in,"_ Chuckles replied as he adjusted his approach for an attack run.

His Viper flew into a thicket of flak cannon fire and the pilot took a hit, the round passing through his cockpit window and impacting him in the left shoulder. _"Chuckles... Chuckles!"_ Stepchild shouted at the man.

"_Oh, frak,"_ Chuckles said in a pained tone before his Viper veered off, the pilot now dead._  
><em>

"_Chuckles bought it, he's going down…"_ Stepchild's unneeded recounting of events was cut short when the distraction of Chuckle's death proved to be enough to cause her own.

"_Now they've got our attack axis zeroed in. There's no way to frakking get close!"_ Kat shouted in outrage.

"We've gotta get out of this flak. Let's get down below the deck, down where the target is," Lee ordered as what remained of his attack force broke off and dove behind the terrain. Lee looked around, desperate for an answer to their problem… and found it. "I've got an idea. I'm gonna take a closer look."

**Dead Space (Resurrection Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"That's what we're up against?" Davidson asked, his tone mildly concerned.

Oliver let out a low whistle at the force assembled before them. "That's a lot of nukes."

"Why are they here?" Donnelly asked.

Outside of the _Odyssey_'s viewports, a massive force had assembled. More than forty Baseships sat in the void between stars that once served as the home to the Resurrection Ship and more were still coming.

"What is that?" Oliver asked as he pointed to one ship that didn't fit the class of the others.

"Judging by the readings I'm getting, it's a troop carrier," Marks replied.

"An invasion fleet?" Davidson asked.

"More like an annihilation fleet," Oliver corrected.

"This doesn't make any sense," Donnelly said with a shake of his head. "They just nuked the Colonials from orbit. Why do they have a troop transport?"

"Any input on your end?" Davidson asked one of the Viper pilots that had accompanied them.

"I'm with your tactical officer on this one," the woman replied. "Unless they plan on landing on a planet or boarding every ship we have, that many Centurions doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe they know something we don't," Oliver said matter-of-factly.

"We need to tell the Admiral. They could be here for the fleet," the pilot said, a note of worry to her tone.

"That's actually not high up on the list of reasons I'd guess them to be here. **Solely** for the fleet, that is," Oliver countered. "It's more likely that they need to refuel and are headed for the Tylium mine. Why else would they have two Resurrection Ships?"

"Either way they're headed right for us," Davidson said. "We need to get back to the fleet before they move on the mine."

**Tylium Mine (Surrounding Minefield)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Commander on deck!" Dualla called out as Adama stepped into the CIC.

"As you were," Adama ordered before anyone could stand to attention.

"The first wave of Cylons will be on us in three minutes," his XO informed him.

"Tell Colonel Davidson's men that they're free to engage and notify the Strike One Vipers that they can stop running and blast those bastards to Hell," Adama ordered.

"Yes, sir," Dualla replied as she carried out her orders.

The DRADIS system, still mostly hash but being fed targeting data from Professor Naco's contraption in the War Room, registered the eight, fast moving fighter craft the Tau'ri operated. The flying-wings thundered past the Vipers and laid into the Raiders with smaller versions of the guns the _Odyssey_ used. Anti-fighter missiles joined the mix as the fighters blew past the Raiders and carved a hole in their ranks. With the Cylons temporarily thrown off by the high-speed assault, the Vipers pulled a one-eighty and rejoined the fight with a vengeance.

"_Engaging Cylon fighters,"_ Deadbolt said with an understandable edge to his voice.

"_Target acquired, tone and lock,"_ Hotdog added as he sent a Raider to its death. A True Death if the _Odyssey_'s mission had been successful.

**Tylium Mine (Cylon Base)**

*Viper 2220 (Cockpit)*

Apollo flew towards the tunnel at a reduced speed as he thought it threw. Then he remembered Kara's advice. _'Don't blow it by overthinking it.'_ She had been right to tell him that.

"Oh, no, don't do this, Lee…" he tried again to talk himself out of it. Hitting his radio, Apollo added, "The conveyor tunnel's clear, I'm going through it."

"_You're out of your frakking mind, Apollo!"_ Kat so helpfully informed him.

"Come on, keep it together, Lee, keep it together, keep it…" Lee was telling himself… then he saw the sharp vertical turn ahead. "Oh, Lords!" Lee exclaimed before pulling a move that Starbuck would be proud of. "Okay, I'm through the tunnel. They can't get a firing solution on me," Lee reported from his place hovering behind a piece of machinery that was keeping the Cylons from firing at him. He looked around, his eyes scanning the area Baltar had indicated. Finally he saw it. "There you are. Okay… I've got you, I've got you, I've got you, I've got you…" Lee told himself as he fired his thrusters and made his run. He more dropped than fired the missiles, the explosives bouncing along the ground until they slid directly under his target. Then he threw the accelerator down and sent the order for his attack wing to scatter.

A few seconds later the payload detonated and the entire base went up in flames. Lee laughed to himself at the absurdity of the entire situation and hit his radio. "_Galactica_, Apollo. Mission… mission accomplished."

**Tylium Mine (Surrounding Minefield)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (War Room)*

The room was instantly filled with cheers as the news came across the line.

"_You can tell Dr. Baltar he was right on the money. It's one hell of a fireworks show, and there's plenty of ore for us back in the canyon, once this place is history,"_ Lee added as he rejoined his assault force.

"Congratulations, Doctor! It worked!" Lieutenant Gaeta exclaimed.

"It did. It worked," Baltar said in a tone of pure amazement. In the chaos of the celebration, only one set of eyes met his as he said this… and he didn't like the look in them.

Starbuck, in a fit of absolute joy, grabbed the President and hugged her with a big smile on her face. Roslin's only response was to be shocked. "Sorry, Madam President, I'm sorry," Kara said, her grin still in place.

"No need to apologize, Lieutenant," Roslin assured her. "Thanks to you, we have enough fuel to last us a few years."

**Tylium Mine (Surrounding Minefield)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Admiral, Strike One reports inbound Cylons are bugging out. Request permission to go after them, sir," Dualla reported with a massive grin on her face.

"Tell our people to pursue and destroy," Adama ordered victoriously.

"Affirmative," Dualla replied before addressing the pilots. "Strike One… tear 'em up."

"_With pleasure,"_ one of the Tau'ri pilots replied.

"Send a message to _Pegasus_ informing them of the situation. Tell them to ready the fleet for the jump and have them send the _Daru Mozu_, _Hitei Kan_, _Monarch_, and _Majahual_ as soon as we give the all-clear," Adama ordered.

**Tylium Mine (Colonial Fleet)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [a few hours later]*

"Colonel, I need to talk to you," Marcus nearly shouted as he skidded to a halt on the Bridge. From the tone in his voice, Oliver could tell it was excitement that had him worked up.

"Your timing is a little inconvenient," Colonel Davidson said as he stood at the head of the Bridge waiting for Marks to beam him out.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, I thought you were already gone," Marcus said before addressing Oliver. "I need to speak to… my Colonel."

"In that case, go ahead," Davidson said with a nod to Marks who pressed a button and sent him off.

"Keep an eye on the long-range sensors and let me know if the Cylons start closing in on us. In that case, send the message to Colonel Davidson, Admiral Adama, and Commander Fisk at the same time. Might as well let us all know we're under attack at the same time," Oliver ordered before motioning Marcus to lead the way. "What's got you so excited?"

"The Ancients are at it again," Marcus said as he led the way through the halls. "Remember when I told you that the Colonials' Sacred Scrolls had parts of them written in Ancient?"

"Of course."

"I found the connection," Marcus said excitedly as he stepped into the side room he'd been using as his office. Doctor Jackson was already present with another linguist that Oliver didn't know by name.

"Let me first start by saying that your man here is a genius," Doctor Jackson said as he scribbled notes on a separate sheet of paper as an ancient looking scroll sat before him.

"Let me then add that the Ancients were a meddlesome lot," the female linguist added.

"Are you familiar with the name Pythia?" Marcus asked in a more serious tone.

"No."

"It's a name present in early mythology," the female began. "According to the Greeks, Pythia was a Sibyl for the Oracle of Delphi. While the temple at Delphi was closely identified with Gaia…"

"The Mother/Spirit of Earth," Marcus helpfully added.

"… Delphi herself had a close association with Apollo. Here's what really matters though."

"Gaia was responsible for laying the foundations for the Olympian Gods," Doctor Jackson finished for her.

"Gaia?" Oliver asked. "I thought you said Pythia?"

"The translated version," Marcus said while holding up a hand to stall anymore information from the other two. "A Sibyl is a given name for a female. In other words, Pythia is a nickname given to the Oracle of Delphi. The Oracle of Delphi was a title given to a woman named Gaia. Gaia was viewed as the Mother of Earth by the Greeks and mythology paints her as the spirit of the planet. She's also the one who started spreading the basis of what we now know as the Olympian Pantheon of Gods. She was known as the Oracle of Delphi because she was rumored to have the power to see the future."

"Then you have the Romans," Doctor Jackson continued. "For them, the Sibylline Books…"

"Or Sibyllae," Marcus added again.

"… were a collection of oracular utterances set out in Greek hexameters that were purchased from a Sibylla…"

"Sibylla means 'Prophetess' in Greek."

"… by the last king of Rome…"

"Tarquinius Superbus."

"… These books were consulted at moments of crises throughout the history of Rome and only fragments have survived into the modern day. The rest were either lost or deliberately destroyed by the Catholics in the name of cleansing heresy from the common man's life."

Again Marcus stalled the explanation and reworded it. "There exists a series of writings that prophesize events in Human history. The Romans called them the Sibylline Books or the Sibyllae. They were bought from a Prophetess by the last king of Rome and used to win great battles that would've otherwise led to their demise. With them, they could predict the enemy's movements and plan accordingly. In the modern day, very few of them are left."

"Are you talking about the Sibylline Oracles?" Oliver asked.

"No," Doctor Jackson immediately replied. "Those twelve books of prophesies were written by the Judaeo-Christians, not the Romans."

"Then there's the Flood," the female added. "In one of her writings, Pythia talks of a flood which will destroy most of humanity and leave it rejuvenated. A deluge of this nature is present in many mythologies with western religions referring to the event as the biblical story of Noah's Ark."

"I am so lost right now it's not even funny," Oliver said in an annoyed tone. Marcus tended to have entirely too much build up to his explanations. Then again, his build up was typically needed.

"Pythia," Marcus said again, "is also found in the Colonials' Sacred Scrolls. Once again, she's presented as a prophetess. This time, she's foretelling current history from nearly three-thousand, six-hundred years in the past!"

"What were the Ancients still doing in this plane that close to modern history? I thought they all ascended around ten-thousand years ago?" Oliver asked.

"Not all of them could. Some of them, like Pythia, were trapped in a state of half-ascension. They weren't fully Alteran, but they weren't fully Ancient either. They had some of the powers of an ascended being, but they still had mortal bodies. Pythia was one of these people and the power she gained was the ability to see the future," Marcus replied.

"Three-thousand, six-hundred years ago, Pythia wrote about the exile and rebirth of the Human race. She mentions a Cycle of Time and one of her most quoted prophesies is, 'All this has happened before, and all this will happen again,' which I've heard many of the Colonials say during my stay on _Galactica_," Marcus continued as he pointed out different areas of the Scrolls. "They also mention a Dying Leader. 'And the Lords anointed a leader to guide the Caravan of the Heavens to their new homeland.' The Caravan of the Heavens is this fleet, but get this."

"She also wrote that the new leader 'suffered a wasting disease' and would not live to 'enter the new land'…" Doctor Jackson added.

"… And President Roslin has cancer," Marcus finished.

"How do you know that?" Oliver asked skeptically.

"My dad had lung cancer. I know it when I see it. That woman is suffering from an advanced stage of cancer that likely can't be cured with what the Colonials have available to them in this fleet."

"There's more," the woman piped in. "'And unto the leader they gave a vision of serpents numbering two and ten, as a sign to things to come'."

"That's what got my attention," Marcus said as he pulled out a sheet of paper covered in notes. "The Colonials' desperation in the search for Tylium is partly our fault. We started crunching the numbers for their FTL drives and jumped them past what they would normally handle. Add to that the jump they had to make every thirty-three minutes while the Cylons were chasing them and _Colonial One_ is sitting at five-percent of her Tylium reserves. They had enough left for two jumps before we found that mine. Now that they've jumped here, _Colonial One_ has **one** FTL jump left in her fuel reserves."

"That explains Adama's determination in trying to take it," Oliver noted.

"Now get this. President Roslin held a press conference to address the issue a few days ago, and, during that, she started losing her focus and trying not to freak out. After ending the conference early, she went back to her quarters and I… followed her back there and overheard a conversation between her and one of the Keepers of their religion, a sort of Priest for them. Roslin said she was seeing snakes on her podium. It started as two, then ten more showed up. That's the vision, but it goes further."

"Two and ten is a rather specific way of saying things, don't you think?" the woman asked.

"Vipers," Oliver said as he realized what they were saying. "There were twelve Vipers in Strike Two."

"Three Vipers were destroyed, but only two of the pilots died. From what I hear, Chuckles will pull through, but he'll never be able to fly again. Two died. Ten survived. Two and ten. See the significance?" the woman asked.

"She foresaw the outcome of the battle?" Oliver asked.

"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again," the woman said matter-of-factly. "Pythia foretold both the battle and the leader who would have the vision."

"So Roslin is half ascended too?"

"Not as far as I can tell, and trust me, I did a scan. It's her tumor," Marcus replied.

"Do you remember Jonas Quinn?" Doctor Jackson asked. "He had a tumor in his brain that gave him the ability to see the future. I think Roslin's tumor is doing something similar to her."

"There's more," Marcus added. "'Though the outcome favored the few, it led to a confrontation at the home of the Gods.' I think it means Kobol."

"What's Kobol?" Oliver asked.

"The homeworld of the Thirteen Tribes, one of which was the first version of the Cylons," the woman explained.

"Wait, how do we know this is a premonition and not a recounting of events? If Pythia believes in a Cycle of Time, then she could just be writing what happened to her people," Oliver asked.

"The scrolls of Pythia speak of a 'Lower Demon who helped the people in a time of crisis'," Marcus replied.

"I think that's us," the woman added.

"We're a demon now?" Oliver asked.

"Given the option of trusting us or not, Adama gave us a chance to prove ourselves. In doing so, he risked the lives of everyone under his protection, but gained an ally. The demon, if I'm right, is blind trust itself," Marcus replied.

"But I'm not convinced," Doctor Jackson countered. "The Scrolls list things in the order they happen. It doesn't mention the Lower Demon until **after** we go to Kobol. I think we're going to encounter a Goa'uld or something that's going to help us."

"That's ridiculous," Marcus argued. "The Goa'uld would never help us."

"Ba'al did…" the woman began.

"Because his ass was on the line as much as ours," Oliver quickly cut her off. "Immediately after the fact, he went back to trying to kill us."

"Then what does it mean?" Marcus asked.

"We'll find out when we reach Kobol," Daniel said with in annoyed tone.

"Are we really going to blindly follow someone else's religious texts?" Oliver asked at a deadpan.

"First, they haven't been wrong… yet," Marcus replied.

"Second, I've encountered things like this before. Seeing the future, time travel… it's not exactly as foreign an idea to me as I'd like it to be," Daniel added.


	15. The Hand of God Part 2: Waves of Destruc

Chapter 14

The Hand of God Part 2

_Waves of Destruction_

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Tylium Mine (Colonial Mining Operation)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

The first wave of Baseships jumped into the system right on schedule. Ten of them stood before the asteroid the Colonials were mining, their weapons systems still offline. Colonel Davidson had been right. This wasn't an assault force, it was a refueling trip. The Cylons had finally fallen into a trap.

The _Odyssey_ reappeared on their DRADIS screens as the small ship exited a state of full stealth, a motion Adama found to be hard to believe considering how hard it was to detect when 'passively jamming' their sensors, and fired a missile into the cluster of Baseships before disappearing again, this time due to the massive EM signature that was released by their frighteningly powerful nuclear warheads. The explosion was like a star being born unto the world. The shockwave rippled out as the radiation flooded the Baseships. The star died out just as quickly as it had been born and left three Baseships destroyed with another two heavily damaged

"Mr. Gaeta, move us into position," Admiral Adama ordered.

There was a brief moment of distortion as the Old Girl jumped into FTL and reappeared in the hole the _Odyssey_ had just blown in the middle of the Cylon Fleet. A flash of golden light deposited the _Pegasus_ beside her and the two Battlestars brought the remaining might of the Colonial war machine bearing down on her enemies. Between the powerful first strike and the two Battlestars, the first wave of Baseships was completely destroyed before they even had a chance to pull out.

The sight of it brought a smile to the aging man's face.

"Launch the CAP," Adama ordered as he picked up the phone that allowed him a direct line to Colonel Davidson and Commander Fisk. "How were things on your end, Colonel?"

"_I'll get back to you on that one,"_ Davidson replied in a distracted tone.

"Something wrong, Colonel?" Adama asked, the smile on his face instantly fading.

"_I've got good news and bad news,"_ Professor Naco, whose voice was, by now, well-known to the Admiral, replied.

"Give it to me straight."

"_One of the Resurrection Ships must've been low on fuel because it accompanied the first wave. That's two of their mobile immortality factories destroyed in three days. On the down side, it appears that each Cylon Resurrection Ship is accompanied by fifteen Baseships… they brought four."_

"That's…" Saul began before trailing off, a look of horror on his face.

"Sixty," President Roslin said, her tone hinging on fear. "Sixty Baseships against two Battlestars."

"And the _Odyssey_," Lee Adama countered. By the way he said it, Bill could tell that it was more of a hopeful question than a statement of fact. Hell, even he couldn't blame these strangers if they opted to run rather than stand between the Colonials and their own godsdamned mistake.

"_Each Battlestar is worth three Baseships. The _Odyssey_'s proven itself capable of taking on far more… the factor that tips the scales against us isn't their numbers…"_ Professor Naco began.

"_It's the civilians,"_ Commander Fisk concluded.

"Then we're going to have to adjust our strategy," Adama said in a neutral tone. "Recall the mining ships and tell the captains to get as much Tylium ore as they can as fast as they can. Any ship in the civilian fleet with weapons is to stand on post as the last line of defense between the mining fleet and the Cylons."

"And the rest of the fleet?" President Roslin asked.

"We're going to have to hide them and hope they're not found. We need the Tylium or we're all dead in the water, and if we can't run…" The sentence was left unfinished. They all knew what they were fighting for.

***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***

**Lantea (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Control Room)*

"All I'm saying is that you're not really needed," Caldwell stressed before rethinking the wording of his statement. "Down there," he quickly added.

Weir looked back to him with an amused smile on her face. "Nice save," she said patronizingly. "I respect your opinion, Steven, really I do, but this could be a serious boon for the Expedition."

"And you're not a scientist," Caldwell shot back. "Your being down there **with** Sheppard just leaves _Atlantis_ without a leader."

"First," Weir countered sternly as she climbed the stairs to the Jumper bay, "we'll be in radio contact…"

Caldwell snorted at that and shook his head. "Yes, because we've never lost contact with a Jumper below the ocean before."

"That Jumper was badly damaged," Weir shot back. "Second, they'll have you."

"I'm overseeing the repairs to my ship, Doctor, I don't have time to babysit a city full of scientists," Caldwell argued.

"Your crew is incapable of carrying out basic repairs without you present?" Weir asked as they finally reached the Jumper bay.

"No, but…"

"Then they'll be fine, Steven, and my people are the same way. Just handle the situations they can't. It's not like you have to get status reports every five seconds." Without another word, she walked away from the full-bird Colonel and approached her second in command.

"Ready to go?" Lieutenant-Colonel John Sheppard asked, that stupid smirk plastered on his arrogant face.

Caldwell shook his head at the man's antics, antics he had experienced firsthand, and walked back down the stairs into the Control Room. "Jumper Three is away," Chuck reported as the small craft launched out of the roof and flew off towards parts unknown.

With a sigh, Caldwell hit his earpiece. "Twitch, beam me up."

The Bridge crew of the _Daedalus_ was, in Caldwell's opinion, comprised of some of the youngest specialist he'd ever seen. Still, they were good at their jobs. As the Colonel reappeared in the nerve center of his ship, he turned to face the duo that ran the bulk of their battle systems. There was his tactical officer, an admittedly young Captain by the name of David Kleinman, and his navigator, an even younger Major Christopher 'Twitch' Scott. Kleinman was nearly as good as Major Kevin Marks, but had less time served, and Twitch was misunderstood. Most people, Caldwell included, had initially assumed the man's nickname was indicative of a lack of grace under fire. They had all learned the hard way that it was anything but. Turns out, the nickname was given to him by an uncle who repeatedly told the story of the young baby having a leg that twitched.

"Where are we at?" Caldwell asked.

"Orbit of Lantea, sir," Twitch immediately replied.

Caldwell looked to his navigational officer who looked back unblinking. "What's the status of the repairs?" Caldwell finally asked when it became clear that the man wouldn't budge. He had to admit, he liked the kid. He wasn't the type to give in and Caldwell liked that. He had potential.

"They're stalling out again," Twitch replied as he brought up a display on the forward viewport. The HUD showed sections of the ship that were highlighted in red. Most of the damage was stopped at the hull, but several of the systems were still under repair. "At this point, the shields are back up to full power and the engines have been fully repaired. What's stopping us from getting back to Earth is the hull breaches. Because the shields are down during hyperspace travel, the hull has to stop the subspace radiation from killing the crew. We know the effects that hyperspace radiation can have on organic materials just from our knowledge of the Wraith. Now replace their organic hulls with our lives and you've got a pretty good idea why we can't make a jump into hyperspace."

With a deep, irritable sigh, Caldwell said, "The next time Sheppard has a brilliant idea to use my ship to block a coronal mass ejection, remind me to never agree to it." It was over a week ago that they used _Atlantis_' ZPM to boost the _Daedalus_' shields to stop the over glorified solar flare. That roughly five minute burst of radiation had fried more systems on the ship than the Battle of the Void had.

"At least we didn't need to go that far to reach breathable air when the life-support failed during the overloads," Kleinman pointed out.

"I can't believe that's the highlight of our engagement with a star," Twitch deadpanned.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*McMurdo Air Force Base (Training Grounds)*

This place was impressive. Ever since Wolf Pack got the news that they were being shipped off to McMurdo, they had been in low spirits. Then they actually got here and their attitudes changed drastically. Things were happening here, that much was clear. The base, which had undergone massive expansions and improvements in the past few years, was a virtual city in the midst of a frozen hell. This place demanded respect, and even nature was forced to oblige. The winds howled outside of the facility, but never cut across the grounds. It was possible, if one was properly acclimated, to wear shorts as you walked from the Barracks to the Training Grounds and not because it was warm down here. No, it was that the winds parted before they hit the base and left the facilities as the eye of the storm. No matter how bad it got out there, the base itself never seemed to get hit by the bad stuff.

That was the impression the group of newbies was under. What they didn't know, and indeed didn't have the clearance to know, was that the base was surrounded by a shield that could do more than stop wind and snow. A nuclear bomb may lay waste to the surrounding landscape, but McMurdo would be perfectly unscathed… well, aside from the people who would be blinded by the blast due to lack of protection for their eyes. An orbital bombardment may melt the ice around them, but McMurdo would weather that storm too. Why put so much into protecting one base? It was the new international training grounds for the Stargate Program's SG teams. Again, a fact that none of the newbies were aware of.

What they did know, however, was that there were people present from around the globe and they were required to play nice. The first few weeks, racism had run rampant. Then a well-known and highly respected General from the USAF showed up. One look from that man was all it took to get everyone to stop fighting long enough to get to know one another. He left two weeks after arriving and things were looking up. The multinational teams were running practice ops with near perfect results. It was inspirational.

And cold.

So very cold.

"Alright, listen up ladies!" Sergeant Lewison, the hardassed SOB that presided over their squad, shouted at the whole lot of them. "Seeing as how Sergeant Parker has decided that he needed a bit of warmth and has taken all of his vacation time, we're temporarily merging Nobel Team and the Wolf Pack. Considering that my patience is not one of my better known virtues, I suggest you get your shit together and keep it that way. I don't like this anymore than you do, but, unlike you, I get to make you stand out in the cold for hours on end if you piss me off while I enjoy a hot cup of coffee. Do we have an agreement?"

"Sir, yes sir!" the assembled men, and woman, replied in unison.

"Today we'll be working within a new set of parameters. For the sake of this exercise, Noble One is MIA," Lewison continued. He waved to a group of soldiers standing off to the side and one of them came over. "Take him away," Lewison ordered. The man led Nobel One, Commander Carter, away from the rest of his team before the whole lot of them marched off in a seemingly random direction. "Your objective is to recover your captured comrade from behind enemy lines. This will be a two pronged assault. It begins with the ground team…"

***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***

**Lantea (Surface)**

*_USS Daedalus_ (Engine Room)*

"And you're sure this will work?" Caldwell asked again.

"Yes, sir," Doctor Lindsey Novak replied. It was more than a little relieving that the woman had lost her nervous habit of hiccupping all the time.

With an aggravated sigh, Caldwell asked, "And what does this accomplish exactly? It's not like we need the extra sensor's range. _Atlantis_ will see anything coming long before we do."

"The point is to test the hull integrity," Novak replied.

"Test? I though you said this would work?"

"Work as a test, yes."

"And if we fall apart in the process? We barely survived reentry as it is, and now you want to leave before the repairs are done?!"

"Sir, with all due respect, when Hermiod went back to the Asgard, we lost our most qualified technician to work on the Asgard systems aboard this ship. I understand why you're reluctant to try anything outrageous considering that, but what you're not realizing is that this is an Earth ship. The Asgard don't need to be here to tell me when we're stressing the hull beyond its limits. Right now, getting this ship into orbit achieves the goal of telling us know where the flaws we can't see are. I'd much rather wait for the NDI guys to get here from Earth, but they're looking for the _Odyssey_ and don't exactly have time for us. Three weeks in hyperspace is only possible if you have a ship to enter it. Until we get the _Daedalus_ operational, the _Apollo_ finished, or the _Odyssey_ found, we're all we've got."

Caldwell's anger deflated at that. News of the _Odyssey_ had reached _Atlantis_ a few days ago. They were all worried, and not being there to help was only making matters worse. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he said, "So stressing the hull is the only way to find the cracks? And you're sure this won't backfire on us?"

"It's not a matter of stressing the hull, it's a matter of getting into range of _Atlantis_' more advanced sensors. Right now, we're sitting too low for the sensors that are used to help the drones know what to target to best destroy a ship. Those sensors will scan through our radar absorbent hull and reveal every stress crack in the space frame so the drones can target those weaknesses. Obviously we won't be firing any drones at the _Daedalus_, but once we know where the stress cracks are, we can start fixing them. It's the only thing we **can** do until the SGC can send us the raw materials we need to patch up the hull breaches, and it's also the most pressing concern right now."

"Twitch," Caldwell said while hitting his earpiece.

"_Sir?"_ the Major replied over the comms channel.

"Get us into orbit, but take it easy," Caldwell ordered.

The _Daedalus_, which had been resting calmly on the surface of the ocean between two of _Atlantis_' piers, was quickly engulfed in a cloud of steam as the engines flared to life and the ship began to rise. Slowly but surely the _Daedalus_ left the oceans behind and reached up into the stars. As they moved, Caldwell found himself hoping that this didn't end up becoming the story of Icarus, son of _Daedalus_, who flew too close to the sun and fell into the oceans to never be seen again. When the soft vibration in the hull under his feet finally stopped, Caldwell breathed a sigh of relief.

"_Orbit established,"_ Twitch reported. _"_Atlantis_ is scanning us now."_

"It'll take them a few minutes to find everything, sir," Novak informed him.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Tylium Mine (Colonial Mining Operation)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

Sparks flew from one of the terminals as a standard ordinance-carrying missile impacted the hull of the _Odyssey_ a split second before the point-defenses could take out the fighter that had slipped past the shields.

"We've lost one of the railguns," Donnelly reported as the weapon system stopped responding.

Behind him, the oddly calm scientist continued to type on her tablet. "The gun itself is still operational but the controls were severed. We can fix it, but someone's going to have to suit up and go onto the hull in the middle of a battle."

The damage to the inertial dampeners had more sparks flying as Marks pulled the _Odyssey_ through a loop so tight it overrode the ship's artificial gravity generators and had anyone not strapped down floating above the floor. It actually managed to annoy Davidson when the strange-mannered woman floated past him in the zero gravity environment before landing on her feet without so much as a grunt of effort. She didn't even seemed the least bit phased.

"The only other option would be to cut into the internal hull and access the system that way, but, at this point, there's more armor between the wires and the inside of the ship than there is between the wires and open space."

"Their tactics have changed," Colonel Viride noted, his observation bringing Davidson back to the more pressing issue.

"How so?" Davidson asked.

"Every time we set up a Baseship for a kill shot, it moves behind another one. They're covering the holes we put into their armor by hiding behind somebody else's armor."

Davidson carefully observed the battle and noted that, indeed, once they had punched a hole into their target's armor, it fell back and another Baseship took its place. "That explains why their numbers aren't lessening. I thought they were just jumping in more ships."

"No," Gabi said as Marks took them into a barrel roll that narrowly avoided what had to be twenty nuclear warheads. "The same eighteen ships have been attacking us since we managed to destroy those two in the opening of the wave. Since then, we haven't gotten a single kill."

"Admiral, we need a new strategy," Davidson said, desperately hoping Adama would have a plan.

"_We've noticed,"_ Adama replied as _Galactica_'s flak turrets kept pumping out rounds.

If the Battlestars were being swarmed, then the _Odyssey_ was being flooded. Thousands of Cylon Raiders had jumped into the system and thrown everything they had at the two Colonial warships while more still made a run on the mining fleet. All of the Vipers and 302s the allied forces had to offer were serving as the last line of defense between the Raiders and the few civilian ships armed with anti-fighter missiles. If they failed, the civilians would be in the line of fire. If the civilians failed the entire battle was a waste. That did not sit well with any of the members of the command staff.

As for the _Odyssey_… twenty Baseships had jumped into the system to launch the first official wave of the Cylon offensive. Of the eighteen that remained, all of them were trying their best to destroy the agile Battlecrusier. If _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_ abandoned their positions over the mine to help the _Odyssey_, the Raiders would make it through and they would fail. If the _Odyssey_ broke position to regroup with the Battlestars, the combined forces of the Cylon offensive would overwhelm them. They were stuck between a fleet they should be running from, and a mine they couldn't afford to abandon.

"Now might be the time to show our hand, Colonel," Oliver said as Marks took them into another gravity defying maneuver that, once again, had the Professor floating around the Bridge with the rest of the unstrapped-down crew.

Once again she landed with grace. Once again she was the **only** person to land with grace. How a civilian could be that unphased by this whole situation was puzzling to Davidson. She had to have had experience in space, but she was too young to have been part of NASA before it was shut down due to funding and too much of an unknown character to have been a part of the Stargate Program's fleet.

"If we have forces held in reserve that I'm unaware of, please feel free to fill me in at your leisure," Davidson replied as his ship shook under his feet from the force of several missiles striking their rapidly depleting shields.

"Gabi, how's the virus coming along?" Oliver asked.

Gabi finally looked up from her tablet, a look of shock mixed with confusion on her face. "You want to use that **now**?!"

"It's the only force multiplier we have left that's not already on the field," Oliver replied.

"It's experimental at best and lets them know how well we understand their systems at worse. And, just to be clear, if that's true, they'll rewrite their programming and the hopes of ever using a virus against them dies with it!"

"Gabi!" Oliver said more sternly as more sparks flew and Marks tried his best to get them out of the encirclement of Baseships. "I don't need to tell you what happens if we lose this battle."

"We abandon the Colonials to their self-inflicted slaughter and run like hell," the scientist shot back in a tone of complete seriousness.

Oliver blinked at her, a dumb-stricken look on his face. "Derek would've had it working three hours before this battle began. Derek also would've deployed it in a way that it would have traveled through their resurrection network and took out their Resurrection Ships. Obviously I brought the wrong technician with me."

The Professor, to her credit, managed to refrain from slapping the ever-living shit out of the man that served as her superior despite her lack of rank, though the look she leveled on him would've melted the flesh off of his face if looks could kill. Nevertheless, she walked out of the Bridge and the Colonel followed after her, the two arguing the whole way out of earshot.

***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***

**Lantea (Orbit)**

*_USS Daedalus_ (Corridor)*

"Colonel!" Novak called ahead as Caldwell made his way through an active construction zone.

"Doctor," Caldwell greeted the woman as she jogged up to him. "What's wrong?"

"_Atlantis_' sensors detected several major stress cracks, as we figured they would, but they also detected damage in several areas of the ship we didn't even think to look at. Since it was the front of the ship that took the bulk of the beating, we didn't even think to check the area around the engines."

"The moral of the story, please," Caldwell said to speed up an unnecessarily long explanation.

"It would appear that we have damage to the ship from our battle against the Wraith that's still unresolved. As it stands, it we hadn't have had _Atlantis_ do a full scan, we never would've found it."

"I thought we had people back on Earth for that stuff?"

"We do, but x-rays can only penetrate so far into an alloy as dense as our armor. We're talking about cracks hidden so deep in the armor that it's actually not that surprising we missed them. I don't think that they did ultrasonic testing on the armor plates after the Battle of the Void. They were more concerned with life-support, and we got shipped out again because we were needed. In their defense, it's a part of the ship that's hardly ever effectively targeted, but…"

"It could've destroyed us if you hadn't caught it," Caldwell finished for her.

"Yes, sir," Novak replied nervously.

Caldwell sighed in frustration. This was another delay and they were already three weeks away from Earth at best speed. "Get it fixed," he ordered before walking away.

"_Sir,"_ Twitch's voice said in his ear.

"What is it, Major?" Caldwell asked.

"_We just got a report from _Atlantis_. It looks like the search team has missed their check-in."_

"Beam me down," Caldwell ordered with another irritated sigh. This was going to be a **long** day.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*McMurdo Air Force Base (Nobel Team)*

"Spin up the big guns, Jorge," Kat, the sole female in the duo of teams working together for this exercise, ordered.

"With pleasure, ma'am," Jorge replied as he stood up out of cover. His hulking form was frightening enough to behold. The gun in his hands, which was usually mounted in place due to its weight and bulkiness, only made him that much more intimidating. With the whir of servomotors warming up to operational levels, the gatling gun came to life with a roar. 'Armor piercing rounds' crossed the distance between the big man and his target at the speed of sound and tore into the cover the 'Insurgents' had set up to defend their 'base.'

As Jorge announced their presence, Jun, the team's resident sniper, used the distraction to pick off heads wherever and whenever he could. The whole thing was kept 'safe' by the use of laser rounds. Some new invention the Americans pulled out of their asses, and, oddly enough, named the damned system the 'Intar,' but everyone else just called them laser rounds. They stung like a bitch when you got shot by them, but they weren't even remotely lethal… or so they were told. Kat had her suspicions that, if you shot someone enough times with one such weapon, it could cause irreversible damage.

As Jorge laid out suppressive fire and Jun did the actual 'killing,' Kat motioned forward. Emile, the latest addition to their team, and Kat darted forward, taking pot shots at anything that moved while Jorge slowly advanced like a Human tank. Kat made it to cover and added her own bullets to Jorge's suppressive spray while Emile, a German spec ops soldier, and Donnino, the Italian more commonly called Don, ran forward, shotgun and assault rifle in hand respectively.

Despite the amount of fire bearing down on them, the insurgents kept fighting. Their own Intar rounds flew over Kat's head and forced her into cover as she 'reloaded' her gun. Then the carnage turned against them as Jorge did the same. Emile, now fully across the field that separated them, jumped over the nearest barricade and used his shotgun to let his opinion of his 'enemies' be known.

But he was outnumbered.

And very foolish.

*McMurdo Air Force Base (Wolf Pack)*

The V-22 Osprey, despite being an advanced marvel of modern technology, was a thing of the past. Already the aircraft with the speed of an airplane and the VTOL ability of helicopter had been made obsolete… by a new design no one had seen before they got to McMurdo. Introducing the Air Force's spec ops teams to the D77-Troop Carrier known as the 'Pelican' had left many of the veteran PJs wondering where the hell something like this came from. It was sleeker than anything ever created by man before now. Its lines curved and flowed like something out of a sci-fi movie. She was fast, quiet, and packed one hell of a punch. Overall, the thing looked like it belonged in space, but Alcatraz could understand why it was here being tested instead of being mass produced…

The pilots weren't used to flying the damn things yet.

The stabilizing thrusters were required to keep the jet-propelled VTOL airborne while the forward-vectored thrusters provided the thrust needed for forward movement. The tricky part was the stabilizers. When the aircraft slowed down below stalling speeds, those thrusters kept it floating. It was, by far, an imperfect system.

"We've been boggy spiked," the pilot called behind him as a variant of the Intar rounds were used to imitate AA guns. There was even a dummy missile system firing SAMs at them filled with paint. It was the missile that hit them.

The Pelican, her starboard thruster 'destroyed' in an 'explosion' that covered the thruster in pink paint, started spinning as the pilot fought to regain control of the damaged craft. Taking his cue, Alcatraz turned to his team of Pararescue Jumpers and shouted, "Go, go, go!" as he followed them out of the back of the careening craft.

The six of them fell through the skies and their new suits came to life. Another seemingly random advancement to come out of the Air Force's labs under the deserts of Nevada, the helmets they wore were equipped with a Heads Up Display that highlighted where their teammates were as they fell. Rather than the antiquated system of falling with flares strapped to their backs so that they didn't ram into each other in midair, the HUD offered them a stealthier means to the same end. It also served other functions such as an encrypted comms system. Where this stuff came from was beyond the Lieutenant-Commander, but he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. To be offered the opportunity to come here and train with the best that the world over had to offer wasn't something he'd ever complain about. Still, he felt like there was a lot going unsaid here.

They dropped to the altitude preset by their mission debrief and deployed their parachutes. Their descent slowed enough that Frasier, ever the show off, managed to shoot one of the hostiles on the ground in the heart, but it was all for not. The Pelican, too damaged to regain a stable flight, spiraled down until it 'crashed' into the unforgivingly hard ice. Their equipment immediately went dead with it. All of the Intars in use for their exercise shutdown at once and their HUDs received a message from command simply stating, "Critical Mission Failure."

In a fit of rage, Chino took his helmet off and threw it on the ground. It was a decision he immediately regretted when he took an Intar blast full-on to his face and collapsed in pain. Walking up to the downed soldier, Lewison stood over Chino and shouted, "That helmet costs more than you make in a year, soldier! I advise you to keep that in mind before you start throwing shit around!" The training field was instantly silent as the man turned to the whole of them. "Well done you terrorist shit-heads, you won! You're all dismissed. Go get warmed up. As for you, ass-wipes, you failed."

"I mean no disrespect, sir, but how?" Jorge asked as he and Nobel Team walked over. Most of the time such a statement was the equivalent of a subtle 'fuck you,' but not when Jorge was the one saying it. The big guy was such a softie.

"How do you plan on making it out of this frozen hellhole without an exfiltration vehicle?" Lewison asked rhetorically.

"If I may, sir, I believe the fault there lies with the pilots," Walsh countered. "If they can't fly their plane, how are we supposed to rely on them?"

As if on cue, the Pelican, now flying under remote-control, landed a few yards away and the two pilots came to join in their berating. "I didn't say it was your fault, Warrant Officer, I said that you failed," Lewison shot back as the pilots saluted the man. "It just so happens that I agree with you. You two are going back to the simulators." When the pilots seemed to relax a little, Lewison smiled a very dark smile. "The external simulators," he reiterated as he pointed to the simulator that sat exposed to the open air. They wouldn't be sitting in the comfortably heated interior of the base proper. Instead, they would freeze outside while still learning what needed to be learnt.

But, because they were a team, that meant that they ALL had to freeze. "The rest of you are going to give me a five mile hike past the Line. When you get back, get ready for an extensive bout of physical conditioning."

"Yes, sir!" the assembled men, and woman, replied in near perfect unison.

"Dismissed," Lewison said before walking back towards the base.

"Wolf Pack, fall in!" Alcatraz called, Carter calling his own team into formation. The two teams, accompanied by the pilots who were expected to bear this part of the punishment as well, marched off towards the Line, the imaginary barrier that held back the storm… well, imaginary to them.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Tylium Mine (Colonial Mining Operation)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"How's it going, Colonel?" Davidson asked over the radio as another cluster of nukes hit their shield. They must've taken over a hundred nukes to their shields by now and the missiles were still flying. On the upside, they managed to take out another two Baseships.

"_Why are you asking him?"_ Gabi shot back, a tight edge to her voice. _"Sam, I need a transmission vector."_

"_You are aware of the fact that, if this doesn't work, they might actually learn enough about our systems to turn the virus against us, right?"_ Sam asked, concern clear in her voice.

"Nobody told me that!" Davidson said.

"_It's either this, or we find out exactly how well our armor compares to _Galactica_'s. Make your choice, Colonel, but do so quickly,"_ Oliver replied as three more nukes hit the shield.

"Sir, we've lost a couple of our emitters to shield conventional missiles carried past the shield by their fighters. The strain of projecting the barrier with half of the emitters missing is too much for the generators to handle, ZPM enhanced or not. The shield's down to twenty-percent and falling fast. We won't last much longer," Marks added to reiterate the Colonel's words.

"Do it," Davidson ordered tightly.

"_Transmission vector,"_ Gabi said again.

"_I'm isolating your lab and the short-ranged communications system. The Centurion will have one-way access to the transmitter. Let's just hope it doesn't take anything with it when you broadcast it."_

"_That's too risky,"_ Gabi said, her tone indicating that she was shaking her head. _"We're not sending the Centurion's mind anywhere, I've already had Doctor Baltar help me lobotomize it. We're sending a virus disguised as a Skin-Job's mind."_

"_You can do that?"_ Oliver asked.

"_We're about to find out,"_ Gabi replied before their comms system came to life. A massive amount of data scrolled across the screens in the Bridge as the computers that monitored the ship registered the grid isolating the lab, as Sam had said, before broadcasting a massive data file. _"Now we wait."_

"For what?" Davidson asked.

"_The Trojans to jump out of the Horse."_

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

Adama listened to the conversation, the phone forgone and the comms channel simply broadcasted to the CIC at large. He was nervous, but he wouldn't let it show. Even then, it didn't go unnoticed.

"The moment of truth," his XO said, his tone as subtle as Adama expected it to be.

"Sir!" Lieutenant Gaeta shouted over the noise of explosions impacting the hull. "Half of their Raiders just shut down! They're drifting free!"

"Take them out before they wake up again!" Saul immediately ordered.

Adama didn't even question his XO's choice in words. He just kept praying. "What's happening, Lieutenant?"

"I don't know, sir, but the rest of the Raiders are scrambling…" Gaeta began before the enigmatic professor cut him off.

"_If I had more power I could!"_ she shouted, presumably at her CO. _"If you want more of them shut down, I'm going to need the subspace communications array, but, to get access to that, I'd have to undue the programming that's turning them into pseudo-inertial dampeners. If we keep pulling stunts like this after I do that, the _Odyssey_'s going to be torn apart!"_

"_Marks, cloak the ship!"_ Davidson ordered.

The _Odyssey_ dropped off of the DRADIS grid entirely as the small ship entered full stealth. Now unhindered by the ship the Cylons probably assumed had fled the system, the Baseships adjusted their course and moved towards the two Battlestars. Three stars were born amongst their ranks as the Cylons flew past the nuclear mines the Tau'ri had hidden before the battle. Another six of the Baseships died in the explosions. Ten down, ten to go. Then five of the Baseships stopped moving towards them before jumping into FTL for no apparent reason. Shortly after that, the _Odyssey_ reappeared on their sensors…

And the Cylons ran scared.

President Roslin breathed an audible sigh of relief and nearly collapsed against the wall she was leaning on, but her relief was short lived. "Now's not the time to breathe a sigh of relief, Madam President," Adama said solemnly. "We've still got forty hostiles to deal with."

"_I'm actually happy to say that you're mistaken, Admiral,"_ Colonel Viride replied in a tone that had a smile in it. _"We just gained one hell of a tactical advantage."_

"Care to fill me in?" Adama asked.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Orbit)**

*_Devastator_ (Combat Information Center)*

"There's only so much you can learn from a Goa'uld hyperdrive after being given the far superior version the Asgard use," Colson said as he checked the hyperdrive off of his list of things they were being ordered to study. "At least we know that even Ba'al is still years away from creating an intergalactic model. How are the weapons coming along?"

"Everything that was in their computers was forwarded to the Beta Site for further study. As for the devices themselves, we cut two of them out and shipped them off too; one to the Beta Site so they had a working sample, and one to the Alpha Site. They're scanning it in depth before sending it to Area 51. The rest of the cannons are being kept unpowered until we're ready for the weapons test," his 'second-in-command' over the science team replied.

"And how close were they to duplicating an Asgard shield?"

"They actually managed to get everything right on that one," the woman replied in an upbeat tone. She almost sounded proud.

"Excuse me?" Colson asked in both confusion and shock.

"The barrier composition is nearly an identical match to our own. The only limiting factor that Ba'al's facing now is the power generation, and, since the Mimner's team damaged the primary reactor core as badly as they did during the capture of the vessel, I can't accurately speak to its efficiency. I can, however, say that the back-up generators, itself an uncharacteristic aspect to a Goa'uld ship, are putting out enough power to give this ship a shield equal in power to our own."

"We did forward this to the Asgard, right?" the Marine guarding the door asked.

"Of course," the woman replied brightly. She was a hard one to bring down.

"How did Ba'al manage this?" Colson asked.

"He was Anubis's… apprentice… replacement… whatever the two were to each other, Ba'al has access to everything that Anubis had, and Anubis used his half-ascended knowledge to create a probe that let him steal information directly from Thor's mind. Needless to say, Thor being who he is, Anubis got a lot of Asgard tech from that including the beaming tech. It's not that far of a stretch for him to have gotten his hands on Asgard shields as well. We know that, even before his encounter with Thor, the shields on his ships were far superior to the other System Lords' own Ha'tak. All Ba'al had to do was figure out how to fit the still superior shields of the Asgard onto a ship. Apparently his answer to that was a larger ship."

"Okay, so the shields will require a more extensive in-depth study…" Colson began.

"Not really," his second, the woman's name being Daisy, politely cut him off. "We have the perfected version of a technology Ba'al's just now getting operational enough to be used on a ship designed for front-line combat. The real concern here isn't that they managed to create an inferior version of a technology we already possess. What concerns me is the power core. They match us with their back-ups! How much power can the primary put out?"

"Is there already a team studying the power plant" Colson asked

"No, sir," the guard replied. "They had to seal off that section of the ship due to a radiation leak. We're currently waiting for a shipment from Earth through the Alpha Site. Once the hazmat suits arrive, a repair team will be sent in to seal the breach and repair the reactor. After that, your teams will have full access to the system."

"Okay," Colson said, putting a star next to the power systems on his clipboard. "That leaves life-support…" he began listing.

"Nothing to learn there; our systems are still more advanced. However, study has led to the possibility of using cyberwarfare tactics to disable enemy life-support systems during battle," Daisy piped in as Colson kept reading off the list.

"… sublight propulsion…"

"We might learn a thing a two about reducing the size of our engines without sacrificing speed, but the system is otherwise inferior."

"… FTLC…"

"Ba'al's Faster Than Light Communications grid has one advantage over ours and that's the holo-comms system which, I might add, is a stolen Asgard technology. Aside from that, we're either better or even."

"… the mining sub-systems…"

"A rather innovative setup, that is. We're planning a full study of the system's operation when we finally take her out to get the minerals we need to fully complete the repairs."

"… the transporters …"

"Nothing worth noting there. We've known that Ba'al's had the beam for a while now."

"… the sensors…"

"Less powerful than ours and they don't have as much range. Not worth in-depth study."

"… the hull, armor, structural, and metallurgical engineering."

"We've cut away samples and sent them to through the Gate. I believe the SGC is having them shipped over to Area 51 by C-17. They'll have the armor samples by the end of the day. As for the structural aspect… we're going to have to wait until a specialist team gets here. No one here knows enough about structural engineering to tell you why Ba'al designed this thing to look like a Star Destroyer from Star Wars."

Looking at his check list, with notes written beside each system that reflected his second's comments, Colson sighed and rubbed his temples. "We need more men."

"I take offense to that," Daisy said, her tone hurt.

"Not now, Daisy, I have enough of a headache without you taking an expression as a sexist jibe," Colson quickly cut her off as he moved to exit the Combat Information Center.

"Sir," one of the technicians placed under his 'command' said as she nearly ran into him.

"What is it, Kit?" Colson asked.

"The hazmat team was just ringed up from the Alpha Site. They're beginning repairs to the reactor breach. One of the technicians on the team asked me to inform you that the repairs should be done in two hours, but the radiation levels won't be low enough for unprotected access for a day or two. Apparently the reactor's giving off radiation with a short half-life… by certain people's standards at any rate."

"Considering that Cobalt 60 has a half-life of more than five years, let's be happy it'll only take a couple of days to reach safe levels," Colson replied. "Thank you for the update, you can go back to doing… whatever it is you were doing."

"That would be nothing, sir," the young Warrant Officer replied. "I specialize in power plants. Without access to the reactor, I'm just sucking in oxygen and blowing out carbon-dioxide."

"Well then, you can join me for lunch so we can discuss our plans for the reactor itself. The SGC wants this ship as intact as we can manage after we're done, and that means that the primary reactor needs to be brought back online without too many problems. What can you tell me about the system?"

"From what I can tell, it's a hybrid design; a cross between a Naquadah Generator, and a primitive attempt at making a Neutrino Ion Generator…" the woman began as the two made their way to the mess hall.


	16. The Hand of God Part 3: War of Attrition

For the record, "Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force" is the full rank of the person who serves as the Air Force Chief of Staff's advisor. "Command Chief Master Sergeant" is one step up from a "Chief Master Sergeant," and a "Chief Master Sergeant" isn't to be mistaken for the "Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force." The role of the CCMSgt (Command Chief Master Sergeant) is to preside over a group of "Chief Master Sergeants," and report to the Officer in charge of whatever facility they work at. I had to have my recruiter explain that one to me, so I'm passing along that explanation in the interest of clearing up confusion, and believe me. If you hate reading that rank, imagine how much I hated writing it over, and over, and over again!

Chapter 15

The Hand of God Part 3

_War of Attrition_

***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***

**Lantea (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Control Room)*

"What do you mean there's not another pilot available?" Caldwell asked irritably.

"Trained pilot," Chuck corrected him. "I have the ATA gene, but I can't fly a Jumper. All of our trained pilots are away on missions."

"Then recall one," Caldwell ordered.

"Sir, we've just detected a signal from below the ocean," Amelia Banks reported.

"A signal?" Caldwell asked.

"Yes, sir."

"What type of signal?"

The woman didn't reply immediately. She was too busy working on her terminal. She was a somewhat recent addition to the Expedition that had come through with the _Daedalus_' last supply run. She had already proven herself more than competent and had earned the respect of those who worked with her.

"It's… it's a Wraith signal," she replied in a shocked tone.

"Wraith?" Caldwell asked in a similar tone.

"Yes, sir," Banks replied as she focused the city's sensors on the area. Just as it had before when they had tried to locate the drilling platform, the city's design blocked the bulk of their scanning power and the water diluted the rest. "I can't get an accurate reading, but it's definitely Wraith."

"Why can this city not look 'down'?" Caldwell asked the room at large.

"The Ancients assumed all of the threats to their world would come from orbit," Chuck replied.

Resisting the urge to trash talk one of the Four Great Races, Caldwell hit his earpiece. "Twitch, we're picking up a Wraith signal coming from beneath the ocean. Can you tell me anything?"

"_We're reading the same thing,"_ the Major replied. _"Focused scans are showing a large pocket of geothermal energy. That's all we can pick up. Novak is attempting to refine the signal by modifying the sensors grid. We'll get back to you once she's done."_

"Sir, if they can detect it in orbit then it's possible the signal could make it off-world," Chuck informed him.

"Can we jam it?" Caldwell asked.

"No, sir," Chuck replied. "_Atlantis_ isn't equipped with a jammer of that type."

"And what about the _Daedalus_?"

"Shit," Banks swore. "I'm sorry, sir, you're too late. We've detected a Wraith Cruiser altering course. They'll be here before the end of the day."

Hitting his earpiece again, Caldwell ordered, "Twitch, jam that signal!" before turning to Chuck and adding, "The cloak will keep them from detecting us, right?"

"Yes, sir, but once the _Daedalus_ breaks orbit to cloak with us, there's no guarantee they won't be able to pinpoint the source of the jamming field. If _Daedalus_ is in the cloaking field when that happens, they'll find _Atlantis_ by default," Chuck replied.

A beep in Caldwell's ear cut off his next remark. _"Sir, we've identified the signal,"_ Novak informed him. _"It's a warning in Wraith to inform nearby ships that they've activated their self-destruct sequence. Judging by the way the signal is repeating itself at regular intervals and applying what we know of Wraith technology, I'd say we have less than three hours before the ship's reactor explodes."_

"Then that problem solves itself, right?" Caldwell asked.

"_Sir, the signal is coming from a Wraith Cruiser. After altering the sensors, we also managed to determine that the Cruiser is well within in the blast radius of the drilling platform,"_ Twitch added.

"_There's another problem,"_ Novak continued. _"The area of the crust they're sitting on is dangerously thin which is makes it a great place to drill for geothermal energy. It also means that, when the Cruiser explodes, it'll breach the planet's crust and all that energy will be unleashed all at once. The explosion will be amplified by several magnitudes and even _Atlantis_ will be hit."_

"So you're telling me we need the shield, not the cloak?" Caldwell clarified.

"It goes beyond that," Chuck answered. "The explosion will unleash tidal waves on the mainland and _Atlantis_ will be pushed around with them. There's a number of different factors to take into account, but the end result is bad for us no matter what we do."

"Then we really need another Jumper pilot!" Caldwell stressed.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Orbit)**

*_Devastator_ (Mess Hall)*

"It's a serious question!" Colson said with a chuckle of his own as the woman sitting across from him laughed hysterically.

"You design air planes for a living and you don't know the difference between a generator and a reactor?" Kit asked through her laughter.

"Laugh it up, Warrant Officer, but I can still pull rank."

"No offense to you, sir, but that's some bullshit right there. Since when do civilians give us orders?"

"Since you joined the chaos of the Stargate Program."

Kit stopped laughing long enough to think that over then smiled at the man across the table from her. "Touché."

"Are you going to answer my question?" Colson asked in a serious tone.

"Are you aware of the laws of physics which dictate things like current generation and such?" she asked, her tone going serious.

"Let's pretend I'm not."

"Okay. A naturally accruing magnet, such as a chunk of magnetite found in nature or iron that's naturally magnetic, achieves this state by having its magnetic domains aligned. Fun fact about magnets, if you hit them with a hammer enough times, you can actually demagnetize them. For the purpose of this explanation, however, all you need is the basic knowledge of the positive North Pole and the negative South Pole plus basic knowledge of how a conductor works. After that, it's just applying them on a mass scale.

"I'll start with the simple part. There are two types of currents; direct, and alternating. A direct current works like a really boring rollercoaster. It goes up to the top then stays as a flat line, which represents its maximum output, and stays there until it runs out of juice. A good example of that is a battery. Then you have alternating current which is a sinusoidal wave. In other words, it goes up then down then up then down… Translated into power generation, that means that it starts out neutral, goes absolute positive, falls to neutral, then keeps falling to absolute negative before rising to neutral and back up to absolute positive. The power outlets in your house are an alternating current. We use AC over DC because AC can travel a larger distance over a conductive wire, but, before you have AC, you have to start with DC.

"Magnetic fields in motion generate electrical currents in conductive materials. So, if you take a magnet and move it over a coper wire, the closer to the wire the magnet gets and the faster you move the magnet, the stronger the current that'll be produced. Here's the catch. Pushing closer and pulling back only alters the strength of the current, not the polarity, and holding still generates no current at all. Because AC has a better transmission range, we need to make the polarity switch, so we spin the magnet so that each pole has a chance to affect the wire.

"A generator is basically a magnet spinning around in a coil of conductive wire which produces the electrical current. For a Naquadah Generator, we use coils of naquadah wires because naquadah is a super-conductor which means we get more current per coil of wire than we would if we used copper or even gold. A reactor is part of the process that generates the motive force to spin the generator. For example a nuclear reactor.

"A nuclear reactor is nothing more than a heater. A very dangerous if uncontrolled heater, but a heater nonetheless. Its function is to heat water to create steam. This steam is then kept under so much pressure that it stays in a liquid state despite being hot enough to evaporate. This high-pressure steam is then channeled to a turbine attached to the generator. The turbine is spun by the force of the steam passing through it, and the spinning motion is transferred to the magnet in the generator, so a reactor indirectly drives the generator which produces electricity.

"For our ships' reactors, there's a nuclear-type water heater providing the motive force to spin the neodymium magnet inside of a coil of naquadah wiring. That's our Naquadah Generators…" kit explained.

"How do they fit all of that into the Mark I Generators?" Colson interrupted her.

Kit held up her hand to forestall any more questions before replying to the first. "I don't know how the Mark Is and Mark IIs work. I only work on the ship-based reactors. As for Ba'al… well, he got inventive. He took a nuclear reactor and used the steam to provide the motive force for a Naquadah Generator that then puts all of its output capacity into spinning a magnet the size of a 302 around in a coil of wire made from, and get this, Naquadria."

"Ba'al has access to Naquadria? I thought you said it was a Neutrino Ion Generator?!" Colson exclaimed.

"It is!" Kit replied in an equally loud voice. Her tone, however, was one of excitement as she had apparently misinterpreted Colson's exclamation. "The Asgard found a way to stabilize it, but they don't call it the same thing we do. Ba'al thinks he has Asgard tech, because he technically does, and Anubis knew about Kelowna so it's safe to assume that Ba'al knew **something** about Naquadria." When she finally caught on to the air Colson was giving off, she added, "If they were under attack, the Kelownans would've contacted us."

"How does Naquadria make a Neutrino Ion Generator?" Colson asked.

"If I knew that, we'd have our own! I will, however, say that I will make an attempt to figure out how Ba'al's doing it so that we can at least try to duplicate the effect if not make it better all together."

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*McMurdo Air Force Base (Training Grounds)*

"Give me covering fire!" Tyson shouted over their 'battle-net,' as Command was referring to the wireless network their helmets were linked to.

Frasier obliged by putting a round through a hostile's head and dropping the poor bastard. Tyson winced at the sight. Intars hurt like a bitch as it was, and the stronger the weapon used against you, the more it hurt. As such, getting shot by Jorge, Frasier, or Jun hurt more than a regular Intar… and a headshot from a sniper was sure to leave the man dazed for a few minutes if not outright knocking him out. These weapons may be significantly less lethal than live rounds and better for training than blanks, but they had their drawbacks.

With the dead-weight of Commander Carter thrown over his shoulder, Tyson ran from behind cover towards where he could see their ride coming in low and hot. The Pelican, despite being used as a dropship during this exercise, was a heavily armed gunship… and even had its own Intar weapons.

The gatling gun on its nose spun up, the noise inaudible due in part to distance but mostly due to the massive amount of weapons fire tearing through the air and lighting up the ever-night sky. That light got all the brighter as the turreted weapon started spitting out hyperaccelerated rounds that tore through cover and mowed down hostiles with impunity. The insurgents turned their AA guns and SAMs on the gunship, hoping to bring it down as they had last time, but the pilots weren't falling for that again.

Even as Tyson ran forward, his team forming a protective circle around him and firing into the mass of enemies, the Pelican fired off a swarm of air-to-ground missiles. The paint-filled projectiles burst over their targets and 'destroyed' the offensive AA guns while the terrain protected it from an accurate lock from the SAM launchers, or, when that failed, they simply used flares. As the gunship came in for their extraction, it turned to reveal a manned turret mounted on the back ramp. The operator on the gun spun up his weapon and sprayed the surrounding hostiles with suppressive fire while the PJs boarded the craft.

Alcatraz jumped in and turned around so Tyson could toss the Commander up to him. Alcatraz caught the heavy-built man in his arms and gently set him down on the floor of the Pelican while Walsh helped pull Tyson into the back of the gunship. Pounding on the wall to signal the pilots to take off, Chino jumped in and strapped down, the last of their team to board.

The Pelican had thrusters on its short, somewhat stubby wings, two more on its tail, another two on either side of the troop bay, and four that pointed down at all times for vertical thrust. The wings and forward-vectored thrusters, however, were designed to be capable of pointing down as well thanks to their pivot-joint design. In short, the craft could hover quite easily, but taking off was a little awkward. The forward-vectored thrusters that pointed down during a hover powered up faster than the others so the nose pointed down like the gunship was about to crash, but the lift thrusters quickly countered. Nevertheless, the first second of a vertical takeoff had the Pelican looking like a helicopter in forward-flight the way its nose nearly touched the ground.

Then the wing-mounted thrusters fired up and the Pelican tilted back as the wings swiveled into a flight position and all of the forward-vectored thrusters fired in tandem to bring the gunship up to an incredible speed in a far shorter time than an Osprey was capable of. As they accelerated away from the 'insurgent camp,' the rear bay stayed open until they came to a hover behind Nobel Team, grabbed them, then took off to maximum speed again. Once they were a safe distance from the base, the pilots took them higher now that they didn't have to worry about a SAM lock.

During their 'flight back to base,' the two medics went to work on the 'gravely injured' Commander. Needless to say, because it was just training, the Commander was unharmed and needed no medical treatment. Nevertheless, they were required to treat him as if he had been through months of psychological abuse and physical torture.

When the pilots announced they were landing, Alcatraz and Carter were the first ones off, their teams falling in behind them as Lewison walked over to them. "It only took you three tries," their First Sergeant said in a tone of mild disappointment. "Even then, you managed to get it done faster than the other groups. Pack your bags, boys. You're being redeployed."

"Sir?" Alcatraz asked, more than a little confused. They'd only been here a few months.

"You're being reassigned to a new unit. I assume you know who the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is," Lewison more stated than asked. He got an answer whether it was wanted or not.

"The personal adviser to the Air Force Chief of Staff?" Carter asked, more than a little shocked. "I wasn't aware that the E-Tens took squads."

"First, there's no such thing as an 'E-Ten'," Lewison replied. "Second, you need to stop interrupting me." When there were no more questions or comments, the First Sergeant continued. "You're being put under the command of the CMSAF's personal adviser and favorite subordinate…"

"The Eagle?" Frasier asked, the excitement in his voice nearly palpable. "Sir," he added when Lewison turned a glare on him.

"Pack your bags. Your flight to Colorado leaves tomorrow," Lewison replied before turning to leave. "But I want another five mile march for the interruptions."

"Sir, yes, sir," the assembled men and woman replied in unison before starting another round of punishment. Unlike last time, however, they weren't silent during their march.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Orbit)**

*_Devastator_ (Reactor Chamber)*

"A neodymium magnet dropped onto a pure copper plate will slow before falling due to the eddy currents generated by the magnet in motion. Now drop the same magnet onto a chunk of purified naquadah and it'll slow even more. Next, drop it over a vat of liquid naquadah and it'll slow to a near stand-still before succumbing to gravity and falling in," Kit said in an effort to explain how changes in a magnetic field can induce electrical currents and electrical currents produced magnetic fields. "There's this one lab back on Earth that has a magnet so powerful that a piece of copper pipe takes three hours to fall two stories just because the eddy currents keep pushing it back up."

"I can't believe you're still talking about that," one of the other technicians with them said as they entered the generator room with full hazmat gear on.

"I'm just trying to wrap my head around this thing," Colson replied as he looked up at the massive power generator before them. "How does all that magnet stuff translate into this?"

"Have you not been listening to a word I've said over the past three hours?!" Kit asked in a hurt tone.

"_Colson to the Bridge. I repeat, Colson to the Bridge,"_ a voice said over the ship's internal comms system.

With a sigh, Colson turned away from the reactor and moved to leave the room. "I'll be back in a minute. Try to get the primary reactor back online while I'm gone so we can start to really see what this ship is capable of."

"WILCO," Kit replied as she walked over to the terminal and cursed the damned gloves that kept her fingers from working properly. "Alrighty then! You're all sealed up, so let's start your power-up sequence."

"It'll probably take a few minutes for the reactor to heat up enough to boil the water…" the other technician began.

"And another hour or so before the Naquadah Generator has enough juice to turn the Naquadria coil, yes, I know," Kit cut him off. "I've been working on Aircraft Carriers and Destroyers for longer than you've been working in space. I know how to operate a generator." After a few frustrating minutes of using fingers she couldn't feel through the lead-lined gloves, Kit finally got the boiler's warm-up sequence initiated.

"What do you think we should do; let the Naquadah Generator build up until it's ready to start the NIG, or just start feeding the NIG power now?" the man asked her.

"Considering the problems it could cause if we tried to power this thing without actually having the power to control and contain the Naquadria reaction, I have a new question for you. Do you want to be shot in the head or blow out of an airlock?" Kit shot back as she monitored the power up for any fluctuations or variances.

He never did get to reply as Colson returned at that moment. "Do we have enough power to get the hyperdrive working?"

"The Impolans brought her to us using the secondaries and we've hooked a Mark II up directly to the new hyperdrive for the tests so it's still onboard. We could use that or the secondaries to power the hyperdrive so yes; we can get the hyperdrive working. Why?" Kit asked.

"They've finally authorized our launch. We're heading for that trinium deposit in the next system over. Let's get this ship in one piece so we can start using it for more than a research project," Colson replied.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Tylium Mine (Colonial Mining Operation)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Combat Information Center)*

The full might of the remaining Cylon forces jumped into the system and all hell broke loose. Raiders filled the airspace to such a degree that Adama had to recall the Vipers to keep his pilots from dying needlessly. The Baseships were firing enough missiles at the three ships that stood united in the defense of the mine that space had been filled with the lines of their exhaust enough to create a blinding fog. Things were not looking good for the Colonials, but what could they do? They needed the Tylium, and they were so close to having all they needed. They only had to hold the mine for another hour and they'd be done.

An hour could be a hell of a long time.

Missile after missile impacted the hull of both _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_ while the _Odyssey_ was nearly invisible behind the massive EM signature all of the nukes hitting its defenses had created, but still they fought on. The only saving grace here was that the nukes were targeting the one ship that could take it while the conventional missiles targeted the Battlestars, but Adama knew that even the _Odyssey_ had limits to its power.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Saul asked, his voice rougher than usual. They were all tired. So very tired.

"Colonel Davidson, what's the status of your people?" Adama asked.

"_They should be here any minute,"_ Colonel Davidson replied, the sounds of overloading systems bleeding through the comms channel.

"_There!"_ Major Marks' voice could be heard shouting over the sounds of battle as another five Baseships appeared on their DRADIS screens.

****Tylium Mine (Neighboring System)****

***Cylon Baseship (Combat Information Center) [half an hour earlier]***

"Just don't touch anything!" Gabi ordered as they entered the nerve center of the ship. Finding this place had been easy enough. All she had to do was follow the map inside of the Centurion's memories… which Jack was helpfully carrying around behind her on an anti-gravity field with a bundle of wire connecting the metal man's body to Gabi's tablet.

The team fanned out to secure the area, but the only thing left on the ship was a bunch of dead bodies so they started moving the sure-to-have-been-resurrected-by-now Cylons out of the CIC. Gabi was in the process of hacking through the last of their firewalls and establishing a more easily understood command system when she found it. The Hybrid. She dove into the file and started reading everything she could. Once she understood the purpose, it all made sense. Then she heard a gunshot and the systems started to die around her.

"TOMMY!" Gabi shouted at the top of her lungs as she stormed over to the room the man had entered to find the very thing that controlled the ship lying in a tub of water with a bullet hole in its head. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING, YOU IDIOT!"

"What?" Tommy asked defensively. "That one was still alive!"

"That's the Hybrid, you dumb fuck!" Gabi replied as she drew her own weapon and slapped him across the face with it. "That thing serves as the server bank for this whole ship! Now I have to take an entirely organic system and find a way to attach a completely cybernetic component!"

From his place on the floor with a bloody cut over his eye, Tommy looked up at the woman and blinked in confusion. Oliver swung around the corner to the room, weapon drawn and flashlight on to provide some light. "What happened?" he asked.

"Tommy killed the ship," Gabi replied as she crouched next to the dead Hybrid.

"You alright?" Oliver asked the man.

"You know me," Tommy replied as he picked himself up. "Nothing hurts for long." True to his claim, the cut over his eye had already stopped bleeding and the skin was stitching itself back together at a visible rate. In a matter of minutes, he wouldn't even have a scab to tell he had been injured.

"Can you fix it?" Oliver asked their resident nutcase. Ever since she had been exposed to that alien device, she'd been acting weird, but that was two years ago and her 'weird' was now considered normal.

"I'll have to replace the center of the network," Gabi replied. "Probably with my own mind."

"No," Oliver immediately countered.

"It's either that, or we build a server that can sustain the system, but doing that will take longer than we have before the Cylons attack again."

"You're not hooking yourself up to a damned alien ship."

"Why not?" Gabi asked, rounding on him with those brown eyes with their strange green flakes floating in them. "That thing right there was their anti-viral software and not only was I able to give it a virus, but Tommy just killed it. Right now, this ship is a body without a brain."

"It's still too risky," Oliver argued.

"But I can minimize the risks by installing the same failsafes here that I used to keep Ryan alive when he got hit by the secondary blast wave."

"Primary," Tommy countered. "He took the brunt of the blow, you got the secondary exposure. He got most of the space powers, you got most of the super brain. He got the killer cancer for which there is no cure, you got all the knowledge of an alien species. He has a computer in his head to stop the migraines from crippling him, you have a computer in your head because you wanted one."

"And now it's going to come in handy," Gabi shot back before pressing a button on her tablet. There was hum as the generators in the ship came to life and the lights turned back on.

"I just told you not to do that!" Oliver shouted, swiping the computer from her hands.

"We don't have time for this!" Gabi replied, pushing past him. "The Cylons are ten minutes away from jumping into their final assault on the fleet and I'm fifteen minutes out from getting these ships ready for combat."

As she walked out of the room and back into the CIC, Tommy asked, "Am I the only who thinks that Jack isn't the only person that's destabilizing?"

"Jack's tumors are acting up, Gabi's implant is full of too much data, and you're still an overgrown child," Oliver replied with a world-weary sigh. "Jack can let her aggression out through combat, Gabi just needs a hard drive to dump data on, but you? You need to go back to kindergarten and learn how to count."

"I can count to ten!" Tommy shot back. "One, nine, four, seven, three, five, two, eight, six, ten!" Tommy proclaimed loudly and proudly. Oliver looked at Tommy who met his gaze and held it for a second before the genetically altered super-Human burst into a bought of laughter. "Sorry, boss. I couldn't resist."

"I'm surrounded by maniacs," Oliver mumbled to himself as he walked away.

"It could be worse," Kimi said as the man passed her. "You could be surrounded by incompetent idiots."

"True," Oliver agreed before walking up to Gabi who had her hand in a pool of fluid. "Since I can't talk you out of this, what's our status?"

"I'm lobotomizing the other Hybrids and replacing their minds with a flash copy of mine. In short, I'll be able to control the five Baseships without stretching my mind too far. It'll just be a matter of sending them orders and them following them blindly," Gabi replied.

"How do you know how to do that?" Oliver asked.

"I don't know," Gabi replied, a tremble in her voice as the truth came out. "There was a similar technology in the Device. I'm just using that knowledge to help us. If it's going to kill me, I might as well take as many of these bastards with me as I can."

"Okay, here's the plan," Oliver said, speaking to the room at large. "We're going to jump the whole fleet behind the Cylon lines and open up with everything we've got. Once we're there, launch the Raiders and set them on suicide runs. Keep the other four Baseships between ours and the Cylon Fleet; let's use their own tactics against them and make sure we make it out alive. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the occupants of the room replied.

"The Raiders may be a slight problem. I'll have to control them in small groups and I won't be able to maintain control of the…" Gabi began.

"So show us how to run the systems," Oliver cut her off.

"Give me that computer," Gabi said, pointing to her tablet.

It only took twelve of the fifteen minutes that Gabi had said would be needed which left their friendly forces fighting a superior force for two minutes, but that was better than leaving them on their own for five. The captured Baseships jumped into formation behind the Cylon Fleet and opened fire with all of the missiles the Baseships could add to the fray. Nuclear detonations lit up their rear flank and Raider swarms, remote piloted by the other members of the team, made kamikaze runs into the heart of the Cylon formation.

It felt like it lasted for hours, but it was really just a few minutes. The chaos, extra guns, and the second application of the virus allowed the Raiders not already under their control to be turned against one another. The fighters didn't last long, but the Baseships were being careful. Their communications systems were all purposefully disabled to protect them from the viral assault. Finally, it was ending.

"Just ram them!" Tommy shouted as the last of the Baseships made a beeline for the _Odyssey_.

"I'm trying!" Gabi replied before one of their remaining Baseships jumped into FTL and appeared **inside** of the hostile Baseship. The atoms of the two ships trying to occupy the same space cause the fabric of reality to fix the problem the only way it could… both Baseships exploded without ever catching fire. Their atoms simply pushed against each other until they were both equally repelled with tremendous force.

"Status report!" Oliver ordered.

"We've lost two Baseships and the other two are severely damaged," Kimi reported from her place at the DRADIS table.

"The _Odyssey_ nearly lost her shields and suffered several overloads, but Colonel Davidson says they're better off than _Galactica_ and replacing the shield emitters will only take half an hour at the most then they'll be back up at full operational capacity. The Old Girl took several conventional missiles to her hull, but the armor held in all but two places. Admiral Adama says that the damage is reparable. _Pegasus_ is another story. She took severe damage to her dorsal structure. One more hit and the ship would've… broken its spine?" Cassidy reported from her place at their impromptu comms terminal. A fitting place for their resident communications specialist.

"The space frame would've been damaged beyond repair and the _Pegasus_ would've been scuttled," Gabi helpfully informed them as she disconnected her neural implant from the Baseship's computers and sunk to the floor with her hands on her head.

"Gabi?" Oliver asked.

"I'll be fine, it's just a headache," she replied, her voice near enough to breaking that Oliver could tell she was about to cry.

"Is _Pegasus_ reparable?" Oliver turned his attention back to Cassidy.

"It'll take some doing…" Cassidy replied before trailing off. "Copy that, _Pegasus_ Actual. Did you say he's dead?" Another pause. "Confirmed." Here she turned back to Oliver. "Commander Fisk was amongst the casualties. A terminal overloaded when they took the nuke that nearly broke them and the Commander suffered third-degree burns to his face and neck before succumbing to death. With no Executive Officer appointed under him, the line of succession dictates that the Chief Engineer be in charge, but, considering that he died to vacuum expose while preventing the Tylium reserves from going up in flames and taking the _Pegasus_ with them, Admiral Adama is promoting Captain Lee Adama to the rank of Commander and giving him command of the _Pegasus_."

"What about the Tylium?" Oliver asked.

"We're twenty minutes out from having enough Tylium ore to fill the refinery ships' cargo areas. Once that's done, we'll have all the Tylium we need to keep the fleet jumping at the _Odyssey_'s pace for a least a year if not more."

"Okay," Oliver said with a deep breath to calm his heart rate. "We're still alive…"

"Barely," Tommy muttered to Jack.

"… and almost ready to move. Keep making active DRADIS sweeps. I know that the _Odyssey_ will see more Cylons coming before we will, but let's keep our eyes open."

As if that was some type of cue, space above their mining operation tore open as the barrier between normal space and subspace was thinned enough to allow passage… for an Ori Mothership. The large vessel barreled into the system, its shields already active, and rammed one of the remaining Baseships under their control. The Colonials, not knowing the danger they faced, opened fire on what they rightly perceived to be a hostile, but no amount of firepower the remaining five warships could bring to bear would scratch this thing. If the Lucian Alliance, Tau'ri, and Jaffa working together couldn't take on four, then there was no way for them to survive this one.

"_Get the hell out of here!"_ Colonel Davidson shouted over the comms channel loud enough for Oliver to hear him from across the room.

"_We still need to collect our fighters,"_ the newly minted Commander Adama said. The fighters had been launched in an effort to finish off the last of the Raiders once the skies were clear enough for it to not be a suicide mission.

Gabi was on her feet and interfacing with the ship again in a second. The other Baseship moved between the Mothership and the fleet while taking evasive maneuvers and firing nukes at the Mothership to no avail, but Oliver didn't care. He'd rather that Baseship get their attention then have the Ori target one of the habited ships. Then the ground under him shook as the Ori returned fire with their smaller pulse cannons. Two of the arms on their own Baseship were blown off by the force of the impacts and part of the central column was opened to space before Gabi managed to maneuver them into the debris field of the former Cylon Fleet. On the DRADIS screens, they could only watch as the other Baseship took the full force of the feared Ori beam weapon and did nothing to stop the powerful blow.

That task fell to the _Odyssey_ and her drastically depleted shields. The beam that would've killed the _Pegasus_ instead was absorbed by the _Odyssey_ as the Colonials spoiled up their FTL drives. _"We've got the fighters!"_ Davidson shouted again as the _Odyssey_ picked up the last of the Vipers. _"Now go!"_ Predictably, the civilians left first followed by _Pegasus_. Only then did Adama spoil up his own FTL coils and jump away.

More of the minor weapons of the Ori tore into the debris field around them, the energy largely blunted by the time it reached them, but still causing massive damage to the organic ship. Still they fired more nukes at the Ori as if it would matter. Then Davidson shouted again.

"_Get out of here, Colonel, that's an order!"_

"Gabi!" Oliver said as the ship shook under a direct hit.

"Two more seconds!" Gabi replied, her eyes pressed closed. Finally space around them distorted until they blinked out of existence and reappeared with the Colonial Fleet. The moment the Baseship rematerialized, however, Gabi collapsed to the floor, blood running out of her nose.

*****_**USS Odyssey**_** (Bridge) [a few moments earlier]***

"How did they find us?" Donnelly asked as he unloaded all of their weapons into the Ori's powerful shield.

"That many nuclear detonations would've been enough for us to investigate too," Sam replied from her place at the back of the Bridge.

"The Colonel's Baseship is away," Marks reported as he pulled the _Odyssey_ through yet another maneuver that overrode the _Odyssey_'s artificial gravity. "Our shields are down to five percent. We won't survive another hit and I need to be moving in a straight line to jump into hyperspace."

"Donnelly, blind them!" Davidson ordered.

"You got it, sir," Donnelly replied as he input the necessary commands and Marks managed to avoid another beam by the skin on his teeth.

"You can't be serious!" Sam nearly shouted as she stumbled over to Davidson, more impacts from lesser weapons causing the ship to shake under their feet. "We're not even sure if that'll work!"

"The Mark IX is loaded, sir," Donnelly reported.

"Fire," Davidson ordered grimly, his teeth grit.

"Colonel!" Sam said again, but it was too late, the missile had already thundered out of the tube and was on course with the Mothership. The Naquadria-enhanced super-nuke impacted the shield barrier of the far larger ship and a cloud of radiation, concussive force, and enough EM radiation to blind their sensors spread out from the impact point.

Marks, fearing the blast that would surely kill them all, immediately leveled out their flight path and opened a hyperspace window. The _Odyssey_ dove into the growing vortex at the same moment that the blast hit the window. The energy from the nuke followed them into subspace and the stability of the hyperspace tunnel was compromised. Then the energy hit the _Odyssey_ herself.

Sparks flew from nearly every terminal on the ship as nearly every system onboard overloaded. The lights either turned off or overloaded with sparks flying everywhere accompanied by glass where the overloads were powerful enough to burst terminals, the humming in the floors stopped, the gravity failed… and then the hyperdrive gave out.

With gut-wrenching force, the _Odyssey_ more fell than slipped out of subspace. The tunnel collapsed around them and the ship was ejected into normal space at a high rate of speed that no one was controlling. The view outside of the forward viewport was a disorienting blur as the _Odyssey_ tumbled through space in a series of flips, spins, and rolls. Without any gravity holding them down, the crew was thrown into whatever hard surface happened to be in the way of their momentum be it the walls, floor or ceiling. The centripetal force of the ship's rotation provided a pseudo gravity that was both unstable and unpredictable. The only good thing about it was the fact that, once you slammed into a large enough surface to stop your flailing, that surface became your new 'down' and you didn't fly off again.

The auxiliary systems finally came online, the generator that provided power for the Bridge alone hummed to life and their computers rebooted. Marks, once his terminal was fully restored, fired the maneuvering thrusters in short bursts. Slowly but surely he brought the _Odyssey_ to a gentle, unidirectional glide with the limited amount of control over the ship he had.

"Status report," Davidson managed to groan out past the bruises that covered his torso from the where the straps had held him into his chair.

Marks read over his terminal in silence until he had an answer he could comprehend. "Sir… we're dead in space."

"What?" Davidson asked as an unconscious member of his crew floated over his head, a trail of blood floating along after her. It was only then that Davidson realized that the only thing keeping him in place where the straps that were digging into his bruised body. He undid the straps for the sake of his sanity and groaned at having to move to do so.

"The Mark IX overloaded the hyperdrive. The system's entirely inoperable. Sublight engines are damaged in the extreme. Sensors are offline. Comms are scrambled. Life-support is in need of repairs. Gravity generators are offline. The primary power core's been overloaded. The power grid has taken serious damage. Shields are nonresponsive. Weapons are damaged. I have access to half of our railguns, but the missiles are officially depleted. Half of my systems are unresponsive and the ones that **are** responding are giving me error messages. There's also several hull breaches and the automated systems didn't respond. I've remotely sealed off the areas I could, but we've lost people and some of the bulkheads can be closed behind the ones I managed to activate to give us more access to the ship should it be needed…" Marks trailed off and looked his CO in the eye. "There's no two ways about this, sir…"

"We're fucked," Sam finished for him in a wheeze. She hadn't been strapped down during the 'crash' and Davidson couldn't believe she was still conscious. She was up near the ceiling, her body drifting in the zero gravity, and she had glass sticking out of her chest in several places.

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*Cylon Baseship (Combat Information Center) [one hour later]*

Gabi woke up with a throbbing headache and the smell of copper in the air, but she knew enough to say with confidence that she was aboard the Baseship. Then she heard the voices. "Colonel Davidson ordered us to jump out, so we did. If they're not here, we have to accept the possibility that the _Odyssey_ might have been destroyed," Kimi said in a hiss of anger and frustration.

"I doubt that," Oliver replied, his tone betraying nothing. Damn the assassin-turned-soldier and his ability to hide his emotions. "I don't see the _Odyssey_ going down without a fight."

"They put up a fight, and they lost!" Tommy countered angrily. His anger, however, was clearly focused on the Ori.

From what little she could see without moving, because moving hurt so badly right now, she could tell that Oliver was shaking his head. "I just don't see it."

"Pull your head out of your ass, Colonel… they're gone," Cassidy said, her tone more hurt than angry.

"We don't declare our men dead until we have a body to bring back to their families!" Oliver all but shouted. "Until I get undeniable proof that the _Odyssey_ has been destroyed, we need to get this ship ready for a search and rescue operation," Oliver ordered with a tone of finality that left no room for arguing. "But first, we need to get Gabi shuttled over to _Galactica_ so they can look her over…"

"I'm fine," Gabi said, more strength in her voice than in her body, "and you can't run this ship without me so let me do my job," she added when Oliver opened his mouth to say she needed be checked. With a few stumbling steps, she managed to get to the data link that the Cylons used to control their ships and put her hands in the fluid. "Cylon Baseships, like Wraith Hiveships, will heal most of the damage done to them over time provided they have enough energy. The solar panels on what's left of the arms and the hull's ability to absorb and utilize cosmic radiation will have the repairs underway in a matter of… now, actually. It'll take a few days, but we'll regrow the lost arms and heal the holes in the column. Until then… I guess we keep her around to help defend the fleet."

"It goes beyond that," Oliver shook his head. "Colonel Davidson had loaned a few of his technicians out to the Colonials to help repair and upgrade the civilian fleet after the last engagement with the Cylons before all this went down. There's roughly twenty scientists in the fleet that we have to look out for, plus the negotiation team. I've asked Commander Adama and… Admiral… Adama… that's going to take some getting used to. I've asked the Adamas to send our people over to the Baseship so I can take stock of our people. By the time they get here, you're going to have devised a system for controlling the ship without your damn interface, and we'll implement it without you because you'll be taking a Raptor back _Galactica_ to have Doctor Cottle look you over. Do not argue with me!" Oliver cut her off before she could say anything. "You're going to get an MRI, or their version of an MRI, and you're going to be put on bed rest until you're better."

"I wasn't going to argue. It's actually a good plan," Gabi replied with a groan and a shake of her head as she fought back the urge to vomit. "We just need more computers… keyboards, screens… interface equipment. If we get enough, we can plug them into the existing consuls and just… translate the operating system and…" Gabi struggled to speak through the pain but finally lost the battle and vomited bile onto the floor. Only then did she find it in herself to speak coherently again. "Just turn the existing controls into something that resembles the _Odyssey_'s controls and we'll be fine. Bypass the fluid stuff by plugging the leads into the stuff down here," she added while kicking the… thing that the fluid was sitting in.

"Go lay down, Gabi, you need to rest," Tommy said, guiding her back to the colder and darker environment of the Hybrid's room. "Just lay down, and don't worry about falling asleep. You don't have a concussion and you're not showing any signs of hemorrhaging. Right now, your brain is overtaxed to the point that it's going to shut down if you don't stop thinking. Just go to sleep," the team's resident battlefield medic/heavy weapons specialist ordered.

**Dead Space (Location Unknown)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [a few hours later]*

"Life-support's been fully repaired. That's the beginning and the end of the good news," Marks replied before Davidson could ask.

"That's not entirely true," Sam countered. She was in bad shape. She had bruises all over body, cuts where glass had dug into her skin, and her head had been wrapped up by the chief medical officer where a gash had appeared from a rather nasty impact with something on the Bridge during their tumble. Even then she was one of the injured that made it off with minimal injuries and a list that impressive being considered 'minimal' said a lot about their current situation. "The shields were just a matter of getting the primary core back online and the emitters replaced. Now that we've managed to stabilize the power grid and made those repairs, the shields are back on the mend. We're sitting at around twenty-percent right now, and, yes, I now, it's low, but the power grid is in such a fucked-up state that it's a miracle we have anything working right now. That blast overloaded damn-near every crystal on the ship. We've salvaged what we could, replaced the ones we couldn't, and gotten half of the system at least responding to our commands even if the response is an error message."

"The bad news starts with the full loss of the hyperdrive and goes downhill from there," Marks picked up. "The shields will recharge slowly, and I do mean **slowly**."

After that, the two just started trading off.

"We lost all but one of the primary sublight engines and two of the secondaries. We're running on minimal propulsion with what we have, because those systems shouldn't still be working."

"The engines are so badly damaged, they don't even realize how damaged they are."

"We ran the numbers and figured out how far we can push them, but even that's risky so we're just sitting here hoping we won't need them."

"The hull's been torn open by the stresses of the ejection and the space-frame was stressed so close to the point of breaking that it's a miracle the ship didn't snap in half during the spin."

"We lost more than half of the computers on the ship during the overload."

"We're running everything on backups…" Marks began.

"And the backups are failing too," Sam finished.

"What about the comms?" Davidson asked, noting the lack of information given.

"Damaged, but working," Marks replied.

"Using them is inadvisable," Sam added. "We could give away our location, and, at this point, if the Ori show up, we won't even be able to run."

"The cloak?" Davidson pushed.

"Operational," Marks replied.

"Send a message to the Colonials, specifically the Colonel, telling them that they are, under no circumstances, to come back for us. If the Ori track the signal, cloak the ship and move us as fast as you're willing."

"Why risk it?" Sam asked.

"Because," Davidson said solemnly. "The last thing we need right now is someone trying to play hero. The Colonials need to keep running, or the Cylons will be the least of their problems."


	17. Broken

Chapter 16

Broken

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*Captured Baseship (Hybrid's Chamber/Server Room) [two days later]*

Getting the necessary equipment to retrofit the Baseship with a more Human-friendly interface proved to be easier than Kimi thought it would. Getting the extra terminals was as easy as asking the Admiral for their spares, and anything not in use in the fleet as a whole was shipped over by a swarm of Raptors along with a few specialists like Doctor Baltar and everyone from the _Odyssey_'s crew. Now, as one of the three technologically inclined members of the squad, Kimi was helping to oversee the part of the repair effort she could actually help with; hacking the Cylon 'Hybrid' and replacing her with a server bank.

The room had gone from a cold, slightly creepy place to a hot, technological marvel. The leads for the servers that had been put together by a few Colonial tech specialists were connected to the same wires that once pierced the Hybrid's head. The Hybrid itself had been relocated to a med lab that the Colonials had helped them set up to be studied. The Tylium reserves on the Baseship had been amongst the first to be fully restored at Oliver's request and the Admiral's orders. Kimi got the impression that the sooner that they left to find the _Odyssey_, the sooner the older Adama would stop worrying. She could only imagine the guilt of sending a ship full of near-strangers to die at the hands of an enemy that you had created.

Shaking that thought from her mind as her watch beeped at her, Kimi refocused on reality. "What's the status of the… what are we calling this? A repair?"

"If we are, it's one extremely twisted idea of a repair," Salvador, one of the crewmen from the _Odyssey_, replied as he typed a new set of code into the computers.

Translating the software started with changing Colonial binary coding into the system that the Tau'ri used then altering it to fit the Cylon technology. After figuring out what the system did and how it worked, they had to use a modified version of Gabi's virus to wipe out the Cylon code before replacing it with their own. They were, at Oliver's orders, removing everything Cylon from the ship to keep it from being hacked. It was an understandable precaution.

"I'd call it a lobotomy, personally," another technician added.

"More like a transplant," Doctor Baltar mumbled to himself.

"There you go," Kimi said with a smile at the joke. "What's the status of our patient?"

"You can't be serious!" Baltar exclaimed, a look of surprise and disgust on his face.

"We've managed to decode and replace nearly forty percent of the Cylon operating system," a woman replied from one of the nearly twenty terminals around the room.

"That about sums it up," one of the two males added with an exhausted sigh.

"If you need a break, feel free to take one," Kimi said from her own terminal.

"Not until we find the _Odyssey_," the man replied.

"Don't make me order you to take a nap," Kimi said as she turned to the man in question. "Because it'll be your body that receives the order."

"What is that supposed to mean?" the man asked.

"Athena saw fit to gift me with many talents," Kimi replied vaguely before moving towards the door. "I'll be back in a minute."

She walked through the door that separated the Hybrid from the CIC and took in the sight of the bustling workforce arrayed before her. Experts in every field imaginable were present and working hard. It was late into the fleet's night-cycle and still they kept working. Modifications were being made to nearly every system on the ship while repairs were being stalled by an alteration to the programming. One of the _Odyssey_'s crew who had served on the _Daedalus_ had the brilliant idea to rewrite the repair code to alter the Baseship and turn it into something they could use to better search for the _Odyssey_. By using a modified version of a technology the Wraith use, he was rewriting the part of the ship's programming that told it which shape to take when it regrew itself. That team in particular had moved out of the CIC and taken up shop in a lab nearby. They were also trying to program the ship to grow a bathroom since the Cylons had neglected to install one.

But, for now, Kimi needed to be in one room in particular. Making her way through the rush of people, both Tau'ri and Colonial, Kimi followed the flowing red locks of her Australian comrade. Falling in step nearly two yards behind Cassidy due to the crowd, Kimi arrived at Oliver's commandeered 'office' as Cassidy was beginning her report. Upon walking into the room, Kimi stood to attention and simply waited.

"We've begun modifications to the existing communications array to further the range, but we've found something rather promising that I want to exploit if we can power it," Cassidy said as she handed Oliver a tablet with a schematic pulled up on the screen. "When the Centurions, Skin-Jobs, and Raiders die, their minds are sent to the ship they launched from because they don't have the range to reach the Resurrection Ship on their own. To counter this, the Baseships are equipped with a subspace transmitter that serves as a relay. They die, go the ship, and then get broadcasted through subspace back to the nearest Resurrection Ship to be brought back. If we modify this with our own knowledge of subspace transmitters, we should be able to use it to contact the _Odyssey_."

"And the rest of the modifications? Will this affect them?" Oliver asked.

"In terms of power, yes. If we modify the subspace transmitter and manage to turn it into an actual subspace array, it'll draw more power than the ship's FTL drive is before the upgrades scheduled for it. To counter this, we would have to modify the power grid for the ship as a whole and that would take some time."

Oliver thought it over for a moment before finally nodding to himself. "Would it be possible to separate the subspace array from the ship's power grid then hook up a Naquadah Generator to power the system?"

"If we had one, yes," Cassidy replied.

It was then that Oliver turned to look at the woman sitting in a chair off to one side, and it was then that Kimi finally noticed that there were four people in this room, not three. "We have two Mark I Naquadah Generators and one Mark II that we brought over from the _Odyssey_ to run tests on the _Pegasus_' FTL drive," the woman said. "Since it's the most advanced model in the fleet, we were wondering if more power in the coils would improve the range. That's where the Mark II came from. As for the Mark Is, we were using them to power the FTL drives on two of the civilian ships that had completely exhausted their Tylium stores before we found the mine. Because of this, we have three generators at our disposal that you can use as you see fit."

"I should be able to get it isolated and powered by a single Mark I in a few hours," Cassidy said with a nod and a smile on her lips.

"Good, because I want the Mark II hooked up to the FTL coils, but we'll need our resident nutcase back before that'll be possible. Dismissed," Oliver said while handing her back her tablet. Cassidy snapped off a salute that the Colonel returned before addressing Kimi. "Go ahead."

"Sir, Lieutenant Amani reports as ordered," Kimi said, her eyes never looking away from a spot on the wall directly opposite her. Normally such formalities went out the window with Oliver, but, in the spirit of fairness, he was treating everyone the same. If the Marines and Airmen from the _Odyssey_ had to salute him, then so did his team.

"At ease," Oliver replied before motioning for her to continue.

**Iron-Rich Asteroid (Orbit)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Sick Bay)*

The pounding noise that magnets made when being used to scan a Human brain was enough to make a person go crazy. Sitting through three of them had been torture, but, finally, she was done. Doctor Cottle walked in with a small smile on his normally grim face and said, "You've got a computer chip in your head, but, other than that, you're as healthy as I'd expect a sleep-deprived soldier to be."

"I'm not a solider," Gabi replied as she sat up.

"You work with them, don't you?" Cottle asked to which Gabi nodded. "You take orders from them, don't you?"

"That doesn't make me one," Gabi argued with a distant look on her face.

"But you wish you were one," the good doctor observed.

"I used to," Gabi said.

"What changed?"

"Nothing… everything… if only I knew," she shrugged.

Cottle nodded in understanding. "I was the same way. In the end, I settled for saving their lives. The ones that make it back to me alive, that is. You've done something similar."

"Yeah," Gabi huffed. "I hacked the wrong computer and got pulled into a world that ended up being an intergalactic war effort. The sad part is, that taught me just about nothing about staying out of trouble."

"Still hacking computers?" Cottle asked with a knowing grin.

"Yes, but now I'm hacking alien computers and using the information to save a world that has no idea it's under attack."

"How does that work?" Cottle asked, taken aback by the very idea of not knowing you're at war.

"Our technology base is different from yours. Have you ever wondered why?" Gabi answered his question with one of her own. "We call it the Stargate…" she began.

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Pegasus_ (Combat Information Center)*

The repairs to the CIC were nearly finished, but they were still days out from repairing the damage to the hull and the space frame would take weeks to be fully repaired. The only saving grace was that they were still FTL capable. If they didn't have that…

"Commander, I've got a message for you from one of the repair teams," Lee's Executive Officer, stolen from _Galactica_'s own CIC, reported.

"What is it, D?" Lee asked as he turned to the woman in question.

"The damage caused to the area around the Tylium reserves was more extensive than we originally thought. Once the breach was sealed off and the room was repressurized, they found cracks in the Tylium tanks theirselves. The only reason _Pegasus_ is still in one piece was the lack of fuel in the tanks."

"I never thought a lack of fuel would save us," Lee said with a shake of his head. "What's our status after the fuel was shipped over?"

"We're currently sitting below the level that would cause a leak, but if we take on more than a few dozen gallons more, the fluid levels will rise above the cracks in the tanks and spill everywhere. Until the tanks have been repaired, we should be moved to the bottom of the refueling list."

"How many jumps do we have left?"

"At current supply levels, we have six jumps remaining in the tanks."

"I'll send word to _Galactica_," Lee nodded solemnly. "Anything else?"

"The other teams report an otherwise smooth repair operation. We should have all of the hull breaches sealed up before the end of the next day-shift."

"And the armor?"

"That'll take a while to repair. The mining ships have handed off all of the refined Tylium ore to the refinery ships so the refueling effort is going well. The mining effort is another story. According to the Admiral's most recent update, they're being harassed by Raiders. The Cylons aren't mobilizing in force, not after we defeated that last fleet. If any Baseships **do** show up," D said forcefully when Lee moved to speak over her, "we'll be the first to know. Right now it's just a few Raiders taking advantage of the hash on the DRADIS and making hit-and-run strikes. With the modifications to the DRADIS system that Professor Naco made, the Admiral has deployed Raptors in strategic locations and is using the live feeds to monitor the situation. The Vipers are holding their own against such a minor Raider force and the mining operation is underway."

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Cheyanne Mountain Complex (Air Strip)*

"Why are we here?" Chino asked.

"Because we were ordered to be," Alcatraz replied as their plane set down with a bump they were all used to by now.

"But why **here**?" Chino stressed. "Of all the places in the world, why **this** mountain?"

"This is Cheyenne Mountain," Walsh began, his usual lecture tone applied in force. "The Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker was established during the Cold War. The bunker designed within was built to survive a thirty megaton nuclear explosion detonated within one nautical mile, one-point-two miles, or one-point-nine kilometers depending on which system of measurement you prefer. According to public record, the base is five-point-one acres of tunnels. Support services for this installation are provided by Air Force Space Command's 721st Mission Support Group. The main door into the facility weighs twenty-five tons."

"Use Wikipedia much?" Frasier asked.

"No," Walsh replied with a shrug. "I just read the report that they handed us before shipping us out here. The last part of which, I might add, held the history of the facility."

"What they're allowing us to know about the history of the facility," Kat corrected.

The back of the plane opened with a hiss of hydraulic pistons, and, as the ramp lowered, the ground crew moved up to the rear of the plane to start pulling the cargo out. As the two teams disembarked, massive crates were pulled out of the back of the jet and placed on wheel-less trollies. That only made it all the more surprising when the packages that must've contained enough food to feed a sizable army for a month simply rose an inch into the air before being pushed around as if they were weightless.

"We leave one freak show for another," Tyson mumbled to himself.

"At least this 'freak show' has an explanation serving as the proverbial light at the end of a very real tunnel," a new voice said from behind them. The assembled men and woman all turned, fell into line, and snapped off a crisp salute as a high ranking officer approached them with a stack of files and a computer tucked under one arm. "At ease, soldiers," the man said as he returned their salute and started handing out the files. "In the interest of speeding up this process, I've taken the liberty of signing your contracts for you," the man said while prompting them to open the files.

Alcatraz looked down at his own and noted a stunning lack of a signature on the paper. He looked up from the file to question this and found a pen being held out to him. "This may be a situation you're not used to, but don't presume you've lost your rights. For the sake of breaking the ice, I made a joke. These things happen. Get used to them, but know that there's a time and a place for everything. The first thing I need you all to do is sign these. They're you're basic, run of the mill nondisclosure agreements. Feel free to read them over if you're too paranoid to take my word for it. Any and all questions will be answered either in processing or at the end of the tour. This has officially begun processing. Any questions?"

"What's the Stargate Program?" Kat asked as she read the file faster than the rest of them.

"The thing you're agreeing not to disclose any information on," the man replied. "To anyone. Beyond that, you have to sign it before I can tell you anything else." Once the files were signed and handed back to the man, he laid them all flat in one hand then pressed a button that was strapped to his wrist. Alcatraz had assumed it was a watch, but that notion quickly disappeared… with the files… in a beam of light… "Your paperwork has been sent to the desk of our primary personnel office. By the time we get there, they'll have your papers filed. Before then, however, I need to take your biometrics. If you'll place your designated appendage on the scanner please," the man continued as if all of this was perfectly normal.

Alcatraz looked down at the offered tablet, questioned how a normal touch-screen could read his fingerprint, then decided that this place was anything but normal. Then he realized it wanted his palm print. "My palm isn't on record," Alcatraz informed the man before him.

"That's the whole point of the scanner," the man replied simply. "I don't just carry it around for the fun of it." Alcatraz shrugged and placed his hand on the scanner. Once it was done scanning his hand, the man flipped the computer around, now revealing the actual screen, and asked, "Pointer or thumb?"

"Pointer," Alcatraz replied.

The man circled Alcatraz's pointer finger on the scanned image and sent the new scan off to wherever they did their paperwork at. Once everyone was done being checked for their biometrics, the man finally started walking. "First things first," the man said as he led the way, "you'll need your ID badges. Do not, EVER, enter this base without that badge. If you **attempt** to, you will be detained, shot, or shot and then detained. While we walk, I'll give you the history brief. The State of Affairs brief will come from your new CO, or the General himself if the current situation has been resolved by the time your briefing begins. The first thing you need to know is that this facility houses the Stargate, an alien relic that allows near instantaneous travel between two 'Gates' as they're often called…"

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Location Unknown)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Engine Room)*

When they had first dropped out of hyperspace all those days ago to repair the dampeners, Sam had thought that the state of the crystal trays was bad. Looking at them now, she'd give anything to go back to only having one system that was badly damaged as opposed to a ship that, honestly, shouldn't still be functioning right now. She sighed when she heard the measured footsteps enter the room.

"I can't give you any good news," she said simply without looking up from her work.

"I figured as much," Colonel Davidson replied. "How are **you** holding up?"

"This ship is broken," Sam stated as fact. "The fact that we're alive is a miracle. Part of our repair crew was away on a humanitarian mission when the ship became inoperable. I'm running a team that's not at full strength that is, nevertheless, trying their best to repair a ship that needs raw materials and months in dry-dock to be fixed. I don't know what you're expecting from me, but you're not going to get much."

"That's not what I asked," Davidson said calmly.

"Well that's my answer," Sam shot back as she pushed the tray back into place and moved over to the terminal that controlled that system. She typed in a few commands and the tray began emitting a soft light before a few sparks shot out of the place in the wall. Despite what Davidson would've expected to be bad news, Sam actually looked pleased. "That solves that problem."

"Which problem?" Davidson asked.

"The subspace sensors are back online," she replied before pulling out another tray and getting to work on it.

"Marks, what our status?" Davidson asked into his radio.

"_Sensors are back up and we've got a trace on the Ori. They dropped out of hyperspace in a nearby system. It looks like they were expecting us to go running towards the trinium deposit there,"_ Marks replied.

"If this ship had mining capabilities, we probably would have," Davidson admitted. "Keep an eye on that ship, Major."

"_Yes, sir."_

"What system are you working on now?"

"The power distribution grid. If we send the bulk of the current through the wires that aren't fried, we can reduced the stress on the damaged systems, and, with a bit of luck, keep the whole ship powered. Right now, there's more than a third of the ship going without heat, light, gravity, and air."

"I thought you said that the life-support was fixed?" Davidson asked.

"This isn't a life-support problem, this is a power distribution problem," Sam countered.

"What about our comms?"

"I'm not working on them," Sam replied.

"Why not?" Davidson pressed.

"Because giving away our position to the Ori is a bad idea and you can't argue with that. Right now the Ori are one system over from us. If we tried to use the subspace grid to send a message to tell the Colonials to keep running, it'd most likely get us all killed!" Sam snapped.

"Is there no way of solving that problem?"

"Not without going onto the hull with a magical wand that I could wave around, make a wish, and use to summon up a new array. The comms system we use still utilize a satellite dish to focus the signal. That dish was torn off by the rate of our uncontrolled deceleration. The thing that takes a bomb and makes it a shaped charge has been removed. If we broadcast anything right now, it'll go everywhere and everyone will hear it. Without a focusing antennae or a satellite, both of which were torn off, using the communications grid is tantamount to suicide."

"So it's a question of materials," Davidson said with a sad nod. "If only _Galactica_ was still here, we could borrow some of the fleet's."

"If they were here and the Ori found us, they'd be easier to kill than we would. It's best for them that they're not here, even if it means that we're screwed," Sam replied before blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "Remind me again why we wanted to go to that damned planet in the first place!"

"Because Doctor McKay said that there was technology there to help us fight the Ori."

"Figures this would be McKay's fault."

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Corridor)*

"Commander on deck." The voice caught Landry off-guard. He'd never heard it before and he knew everyone under his command.

"At ease," Landry said with a wave of his hand at the assembled soldiers all standing at attention. "You must be the new bunch," Landry mused as he took in the men and woman that were being given a tour of the facility. "Give them the Alpha Briefing yet?" he asked their tour guide.

"I figured that Brandon would want that privilege," his favorite Gate technician replied with a mischievous smile.

"Well don't keep them waiting too long. They'll start to think this whole thing is a hoax," Landry said as he walked past them, and, as Walter fell in line beside him, the assembled troops fell in line behind him. "I assume you've already welcomed them, so let me be the second. Welcome to the Stargate Program," Landry said while looking at the trail of people behind him. "You're here because your respective countries nominated you as being amongst the best they had to offer. Your purpose is to learn what you need to stay alive before being assigned to the Alpha Fleet, but you'll learn more about that later. In the meantime, we'll give an idea of what's been going on for the past ten years."

Landry's next words were cut off by a flashing light coming from the watch on his wrist. Well, 'watch.' It had quite a few functions. "If you'll excuse me, I have pressing matters to attend to. Walter, be sure to show them the good stuff," Landry ordered before walking towards his office.

"I never did like her," a voice in the shadows said as Landry sat behind his desk.

When he noticed the classified report that **had** been sitting on his desk in the man's hand, he grunted in reply. "You never liked politicians, period," Landry countered as he pressed the button under his desk. "What have we got?" Landry asked once the jamming field was active and the doors were sealed by force fields.

"Something worth having Earth connected to," Colonel Andy replied as he stepped out of the corner of Landry's office that the members of his subdivision had taken the lamp out of to provide a dark enough corner of their all-black armor to hide them in and tossed the report back on his desk, the image of the Chinese ambassador to the IOA's mug shot on the front page. The rest of the report detailed the reasons Landry was holding her in his brig, but that was a topic for another time.

"I have more pressing matters to attend to than word games," Landry said firmly as he started shifting through the files on his desk. He had a lot of work to do.

"We found a planet in the Lucian Alliance database on Epsilon Beta that, quite explicitly, describes a planet protected from foreign invaders by a shield."

"We already have shielding technology," Landry dismissed.

"Not one we can employ on a planetary scale, General."

Landry looked up from the file in his hands and met the Colonel's eyes. "Planetary scale?" he asked, more than a little skeptical.

"A shield designed from the ground up to cover an entire planet. How they managed to survive long enough to develop a technology like that is…" Andy began.

"Irrelevant," Landry cut him off. "What do you need?"

"With Colonnello Viride missing, and Colonel Ry out on a mission, I'm following my standing orders which are to run all of our plans by you before going ahead with anything. That, and I wanted to check on the progress of the search?"

"It's going better today than it was yesterday. The Asgard have arrived and are actively searching the galaxy for the _Odyssey_, but now the _Daedalus_ is reporting major structural faults that **have** to be fixed before they attempt a hyperspace trip, but **can't** be fixed without a dry-dock," Landry replied with an air of dissatisfaction. "Add to that the IOA's current antics and I'm about ready to make good on my promise to have them all shot. Proceed as you see fit, Colonel"

"We'd need a small army to take the planet, General."

"All you'll have is what you have. I don't have any forces that I can loan you without the IOA getting involved, and, if that happens, this will be put on the back burner until they deliberate the best course of action. Get the shield designs and drop them off at the Alpha Site. Standard operational procedure. Just credit the act of kindness to whatever race you're impersonating and keep searching. We'll find it eventually."

"That's Ryan's job, sir. My team just keeps Ba'al off our backs, but, given that the Zeta Initiative is missing more than half of its military members, I'm going to ask that you allow us to deploy with all the forces we have left."

"On my authority as the Commanding Officer of this facility and all of its affiliates, I hereby grant you the rank and power of a full-bird Colonel for the duration of our current emergency. Proceed as you see fit, Colonel," Landry said again with greater force.

"We'll get it done, sir," Andy replied before beaming out to his ship in orbit.

One of these days Landry would have to see what those things looked like. All he'd ever had access to were the initial schematics. Then, as planned, the Zeta Site went dark, all communication was cut, and the only time he ever had contact with the members of the most drastic initiative the Stargate Program had undertaken was when they showed up in person. It had taken them nearly seven months to produce the first ship. They went that long without reporting back to the planet they called home. That long without seeing their families. That long without being discovered by Ba'al, the Lucian Alliance, or the Ori. Now it had been years.


	18. Stranded

Chapter 17

Stranded

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Location Unknown)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [a few days later]*

"Colonel!" Major Marks shouted over the sound of a welder cutting their way through the hull of the _Odyssey_ in an effort to reach the damaged systems behind the armored interior. The welder stopped working and Davidson appeared behind him in an instant as the entire Bridge crew went silent. "We're being hailed."

"By who?" Davidson asked.

"Colonel Viride," Marks replied as their sensors stopped focusing on the Ori and Marks swiveled the array around to focus on a solitary Baseship a few light-years away from their current position. "They came looking for us."

"Open a channel," Davidson ordered. In his heart, he was conflicted. They were risking their lives to save the _Odyssey_, but a Baseship was no more a match for the _Odyssey_ than the _Odyssey_ was a match for the Ori. That put the Italian Colonel in a very dangerous position.

"I can't," Marks said, his tone more than a little confused as the system refused to respond to his commands.

Hitting the radio in his ear, Davidson ordered, "Carter, give me back my comms, now!"

"_What?"_ Sam asked, her own tone also confused. _"I didn't do anything to them!"_

"_That was me, sorry,"_ another technician informed them over the channel. _"Give me another minute and I'll have the system back online."_

"_Why are they offline? I told you not to touch that!"_ Sam said as she, judging by her tone, glared at the other person on the channel.

"_I was reinforcing the security measures in the system in an effort to…"_ the man began.

"_It isn't a matter of the Ori hacking the channel, it's a matter of them tracing the subspace disruption back to our location. Reinforcing the firewalls accomplishes nothing!"_ Sam scolded the man. A second later Marks' terminal beeped and Sam added, _"I hope this is worth it."_

"Establishing connection," Marks reported before a bit of static emitted from the speakers followed by the Colonel's voice.

"… _If you read us, please respond."_

"It's broadcasting in a loop," Marks helpfully reported as the message repeated itself.

"_This is Colonel Oliver Viride, authentication code Zeta One Epsilon Four, to Colonel Ian Davidson. If you read us, please respond."_

"Can they hear us?" Davidson asked.

"Only if I open a channel," Marks replied with a shake of his head, "But I'm not even sure how they're reaching us. Subspace transmitters are beyond the Colonials."

"But not the Cylons," Sam countered as she walked onto the Bridge. "The Resurrection Ship proved that much. Logic dictates that the Baseships have a transmitter to reach the nearest ship. They probably just modified it."

"Sir?" Marks asked his superior.

Davidson took a deep breath then gave the order. "Do it."

*Captured Baseship (Combat Information Center)*

"Looks like another bust," Kimi said as the Baseship drifted through space.

"Prep the FTL coils," Oliver ordered.

"Coordinates locked and ready," Gabi said from her place at the navigational station. She looked a lot better after Doctor Cottle had given her a sedative to help alleviate the headache she'd had since installing a computer chip in the back of her skull. Apparently the Colonials' version of Aspirin had one hell of a leg-up on the best Earth had to offer. It didn't even have the side effects that made pain-meds so annoying to take.

"Wait!" Cassidy shouted with a triumphant look. "We're getting a response to our message!"

"Patch it through," Oliver ordered, a palpable air of excitement filling the CIC.

"_Colonel, I ordered you to run!"_ Davidson said, his tone more than a little displeased.

"And we did," Oliver countered. "Then I gave my own orders and you don't outrank me. Not when we're not on your ship."

**Dead Space (_USS Odyssey_'s Projected Course)**

*_Quaero_ (Bridge)*

Dead space. That was all that Hermiod could see. After he was no longer needed on the Earth ship _Daedalus_, he had been reassigned back to the Asgard fleet. Now there were two of him. One of his bodies was in Ida running an op to investigate a strange signal. The other one was looking for the _Odyssey_. They were using a new ship the Asgard had designed just for this type of work. It had advanced sensors, even for them, a faster than average hyperdrive, and extremely long ranged communications, all at the cost of combat capability.

"We are intercepting an undirected subspace communication from a location not far off of the _Odyssey_'s projected course. The translation software and encryption programing have confirmed that the message is from a Human vessel," the communications officer reported to Hermiod who sat in the command chair.

"Can we interpret the signal?" Hermiod asked.

His answer was a voice he knew well enough to identify. _"Colonel, while I appreciate you not leaving us behind, the Ori aren't far from our location. This transmission is currently giving away or position and we're in no position to run, let alone fight. Our sublight engines are offline, shields are heavily depleted, the hull is damaged, the space frame is barely holding together, and a number of other systems are damaged beyond our ability to repair them. Get the hell out of here before you get yourselves killed!"_ Samantha Carter, the woman who had advised Supreme Commander Thor to sacrifice the _O'Neill_ to save a colony from a Replicator attack, all but shouted at an unknown entity.

"_Is the cloak still working?"_ another female asked, her voice unknown to Hermiod.

"_That won't stop them from tracing the call!"_ Sam shot back.

"_But you can send us your location and we can start moving raw materials to you from the fleet…"_ a third voice, this one male, began.

"_What part of 'run' do you not understand!?"_ another male shouted in response to the unfinished suggestion. _"The Ori will destroy your ship in one hit. Coming here is suicide! Get back to the Colonials and tell Adama to keep running until you find Earth. Explain the situation to General Landry and I'm sure they'll be given residency either on Earth or the Alpha Site. Just get the hell out of here before you get yourselves killed!"_

"_With all due respect, Colonel, we don't leave our people behind,"_ the first male replied adamantly. _"That's not strictly an American concept, and I'm not full-blood Italian. If there's a way to pull your ass out of the fire, we'll…"_

"_Sir, the Ori are entering hyperspace!"_ a third male informed them. From what Hermiod knew of Human vocal patterns, the man was worried.

"_It's only safe to assume they've traced the signal,"_ Sam said, her tone filling with a franticness that told Hermiod that the state of the _Odyssey_ must truly be bad. _"Cut the damn channel! We need to move!"_ Sam shouted at the 'assembled' men and women.

"We have lost the _Odyssey_'s connection."

"And the other ship?" Hermiod asked. He had to admit that he was surprised that they had picked up both ends of the call. It made sense that, with the _Odyssey_ apparently damaged, their array would be unfocused. The other ship would, therefore, either have to be horribly primitive, or also damaged.

"They are continuing to attempt to contact the _Odyssey_."

"Then they must be allied," Hermiod mused. He had spent enough time with the Humans of the _Daedalus_ and had been on several trips to Earth. He knew from the SGC's records that there were more than just the Tau'ri in this galaxy that used a remarkably similar ranking system. It would be hard, if not impossible, to know if these Humans were part of the _Odyssey_'s crew from such a brief conversation. "Can we locate the other vessel?"

"I cannot ascertain their location. They must be beyond range of our sensors."

"And what of the _Odyssey_?"

"The _Odyssey_'s location has been pinpointed. However, their transmission indicated they would be moving."

"It also indicated the ship was unfit for hyperspace travel," Hermiod countered. "Prepare a course and ready the ship for capital ship engagement."

"You plan on getting close enough to be fired upon?" his tactical officer asked. To the Asgard, the emotion in their tones was plain as day. Hermiod could tell he was afraid.

"The _Odyssey_ is damaged, and, as we have just witnessed, any attempt at contacting them over the subspace grid will reveal their location to the Ori. If they are cloaked, then we will give away their position unless we enter range of their short-ranged communications equipment. I will make the necessary modifications to our own ship to facilitate the successful connection to their less advanced system."

**Dead Space (Location Unknown)**

*Captured Baseship (Combat Information Center)*

"Did he just say 'lead us to Earth'?" Captain Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace asked. She had piloted one of the Raptors that had resupplied the Baseship before they set off, and, upon Commander Adama's request, she had been allowed to stay.

"What matters more to you, Captain? One word or the conversation as a whole?" Oliver shot back, the look on his face one of anger, despair, and helplessness. "Gabi… get us back to the fleet."

"You can't be serious!" Kirsten, one of the _Odyssey_'s technicians, shouted in outrage. Her outburst was quickly followed by a multitude of others, and they were all justified.

"Let me make this perfectly clear," Oliver said in a level tone, his voice only as loud as it would be if he was addressing one person as opposed to shouting at room full of people. It was a tactic he used against the members of his own team often enough that they knew it when they saw it. To make you listen to him, he talked quieter than you. If you wanted to know what was going on, you would shut up and you would do so quickly. "I am not a monster. I would not abandon my family, friends, or allies if I had any other choice, but you have all served on the _Odyssey_ for the past two years, and, in that time, you have stood beside each other through countless engagements. The crew is your family away from family, the ship is your home away from home. I understand that.

"What you fail to realize is that your CO has ordered our retreat and I am obligated to do that which is best for the crew of this ship. We may not know one another well enough to be a family, but we are, at the very least, allies united in a common cause; the _Odyssey_'s safe return to Earth. Right now, the only hope the _Odyssey_ has for surviving is the aid that Stargate Command can bring into play. The Jaffa would be as useless here as this single ship because a fleet of Ha'tak cannot engage an Ori Mothership with any reasonable hope for victory. That has already been proven beyond any and all reasonable arguments. The only people capable of helping us now are the _Daedalus_, the _Apollo_, and the Asgard.

"The _Daedalus_ is away in Pegasus fighting the Wraith. The _Apollo_ is incomplete and not yet ready to break orbit to engage a hostile force, let alone the Ori. There is only one force capable of saving the _Odyssey_ now, and reaching Earth is the only way we have to achieve that goal. Having Stargate Command send a message to the Asgard is the only viable option we have at this point.

"Are there any objections?" Oliver asked. The silence that followed was the only answer he would get. The ship jumped into FTL and reappeared after a short moment of distortion. "Gabi, how close are we to Earth?"

"I don't know," Gabi replied honestly.

Oliver looked away from the crew of the now abandoned ship and looked to the scientist who had never failed him before. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"The Colonial coordinate system is garbage," Gabi replied. "All I know is that we're somewhere in the Local Spur Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Beyond that, we could've passed Earth days ago and not known it. I can't translate their FTL coordinates into our own without a better computer than what I have available to me. Sam was handling that part of the jumps with the _Odyssey_'s computers, so, at the very least, I'm sure we're on the right course, but, given that we're making jumps into micro-singularities and moving like a Gate-less wormhole, we could overshoot Earth. The risks involved in this from of FTL are why the Ancients abandoned the technology. The only race in known existence to have used worm-hole drives were the Furlings."

"Well then it's a good thing you were exposed to the Furling Repository of Knowledge instead of the Ancient Repository like we originally thought," Kimi said. She had intended it to be a compliment, really she had, but intentions and outcomes didn't have a very close relationship.

"The Furlings used a different coordinate system than the Colonials do!" Gabi countered irritably. "I understand how it works, but their navigational computers can't help me here. If I had one of **our** computers, something beyond the processing power of a damn tablet, I could translate the coordinates from Colonial to Furling then back to ours. We have two options," the short woman said with a huff, "either we find a super-computer in the Colonial Fleet with enough processing power to do what I need, or we need Sam."

"There's a Raptor requesting permission to dock and broadcasting a message with your name on the package," Cassidy informed them when a gap in the conversation gave her a chance to speak up.

"Granted," Oliver replied as he opened the message. He read over the text-only message and nodded to himself. "The Colonials finished their mining operation and moved on. If they're not waiting for us at the coordinates the Raptor just sent us, they'll be at the nest set provided by the next Raptor. Now," Oliver said as he turned to Starbuck, "I believe you have questions, Captain?"

**Dead Space (Location Unknown)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

The _Odyssey_, moving as slowly as she was with her damaged sublight drive, barely managed to leave the area they had just occupied before the Ori came barreling out of hyperspace, their weapons already firing. Weapons fire tore through the pocket of space the _Odyssey_ had only recently vacated and harmlessly sped off into the distance before their effective range was reached and the energy orbs lost their lethality. Behind them, the Ori stopped firing as they found their target to not be where it was expected to be.

"I told you this would happen!" Sam snarled as she monitored the engines and Marks pushed them as far as he dared.

"Subspace event," Donnelly reported as he monitored the sensors that Marks had neglected in favor of making sure he didn't blow up their engines and the ship with them. "Three Ha'tak just dropped out of hyperspace. Looks like they're Alliance affiliated."

A ball of fire lit up the forward viewport as the Ori Mothership tore through the first Ha'tak and the other two took evasive maneuvers. The battle only lasted a second before the two Ha'tak retreated back into hyperspace.

"Subspace event," Donnelly said again as another hyperspace window opened and unknown ship appeared on their sensors. "Unknown contact…" Donnelly trailed off when the new arrival opened fire on the Ori Mothership. Large globs of blue plasma lanced out from the oddly designed ship, and, most shockingly, when the Ori returned fire, their shields held under the blast. "We're being hailed," Donnelly said, his voice distant and full of awe. So few races had the power to stand up to the Ori like that.

"Don't even think about it!" Sam nearly shouted when Davidson reached for the comms.

"They're not hailing us on a subspace frequency," Donnelly informed them.

"Let me see," Sam said as she left Marks to the engines and took Donnelly's station. When she looked up from the terminal, her eyes were watering. "It's the Asgard," she said in a voice full of so much emotion Davidson couldn't decipher it all. A cheer went up from the crew on the Bridge. One that quickly died when Sam shouted over them, "I'M OPENING A CHANNEL!"

"This is Colonel Ian Davidson of the Earth ship _Odyssey_. You are a sight for very sore eyes," Davidson said, his own voice on the verge of breaking.

"_Greetings, Colonel, I am Hermiod. I was sent by order of the Asgard High Council at the request of General O'Neill,"_ the distinctive voice of an Asgard replied.

"That's great to hear," Daniel said with an audible sigh.

"_What is the status of your ship?"_ Hermiod asked, his voice annoyingly calm considering they were being hammered by the Ori.

"Carter," Davidson said and the scientist immediately launched into a full damage report.

Sam started talking so fast that Davidson only caught every other word, though apparently Hermiod understood her perfectly. In all honesty, the only part Davidson really understood was what he already knew. Then Marks started adding anything she left out and it was beyond the Colonel to keep the conversation straight.

"_The _Quaero_ is not a vessel of war. As a result, our shields are quickly failing. We will relay this information to Stargate Command, and then return with a larger fleet. Godspeed, Colonel,"_ Hermiod said before cutting the channel and jumping his ship into hyperspace. In the void they left, the Ori immediately turned their attention back to finding the _Odyssey_.

"Now what?" Mitchell asked, the relief clear in his tone.

"We wait. We have enough power in the ZPM to last us a couple of months. All we have to do is wait for Hermiod to return," Davidson said with a sense of hope returning to his sense of being and brightening his perception of reality by a measurable degree.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Surface)**

*Alpha Site (Gate Room)*

"… One giant leap for mankind," Chino muttered under his breath as they stepped through the other end of the Stargate. The first half of the famous quote had been whispered before they entered the event horizon, and, even now, Chino still found it hard to believe that they were on an alien world.

"If you'll follow me," their guide waiting on this end of the wormhole said with a smile. She led them through the halls, into a hangar full of fighters that looked alien enough, then out onto the tarmac where they could take in the relatively untouched beauty of this world. "Welcome to the Alpha Site, gentlemen. I assure you, this is all very much real. I'll introduce you to the man who will be serving as your Commanding Officer during your stay with us later on today. As per your assignment to the Alpha Fleet, you'll be under the direct leadership of Command Chief Master Sergeant Brandon Taylor. The CCMSgt is currently inspecting the _USS Ares_ which is preparing for the war-games scheduled for later this week. Until then, I'll show you to the barracks so you can store your gear, then give you a brief tour of the facilities here at the Alpha Site."

If the untouched nature outside of the base that was obviously built into another mountain wasn't enough to prove this was an alien world, what came next was. They stored their gear, ate in the mess hall, then were given a tour of a facility packed full of technology that no one Earth could've developed. Then they were taken to the dry dock.

"This is the _USS Ares_," the woman said proudly. "While the bulk of Earth's war potential is built on Earth, and indeed the ship yards in Nevada are the only ones equipped to build the 304s, General Ervin felt it necessary to expand our war capacity to counter the growing threat posed by Ba'al. This is his response to that threat. The _Ares_-class Invasion Carrier is unique amongst the ships of Earth's fleet. Instead of a Battlecruiser or similar analogy, the _Ares_ is designed to engage the enemy on the ground as opposed the enemy in space. She carries in her bays tanks, troop transports, mobile artillery, aerial surveillance and attack drones, Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and All Terrain Tactical Enforcers as well as a larger compliment of fighters than the other classes that pre-dated her, and is designed to hold an interplanetary invading force."

"That's where you come in," a voice said from behind them. The assembled military personnel, upon seeing the man's rank, immediately snapped to attention and saluted their superior. "At ease," the Command Chief Master Sergeant ordered.

"Sir," Alcatraz said with a respectful nod. "Your reputation precedes you."

"As does yours, Erik," the living legend replied. "Interesting story indeed."

"Your name is Erik?" Chino asked, clearly surprised.

"And you didn't know?" the man before them shot back, clearly amused. "Secrets amongst comrades is never a good idea."

"With all due respect, sir, you should take your own advice," Jorge stated simply.

"Keeping you in the dark wasn't my choice, Jorge. In fact, it went directly against my wishes. I advised Stargate Command to inform you of the nature of your tour of duty before sending you to a base where stolen alien technology was being used to produce Human-alien hybrid technology. Didn't you ever wonder how something like the Pelican could be made by man? Or how a base in the middle of an endless storm could never be covered in snow? They tell you that they're advancements, and it's not a lie, but no amount of heat produced by a simple base would be enough to overpower the cold of Antarctica. The base, as I'm sure you'll eventually come to realize for yourselves, was protected by a shield capable of stopping the force of the world's most powerful nuclear weapons cold, but was designed to protect the base from orbital bombardment.

"We are at war," the man continued as he addressed what would be the last team added to his command before it was considered, and this was quote directly from the report, 'adequately staffed.' He had laughed at that. A ship that's designed to hold thousands of troops was 'adequately staffed' when the number of soldiers reached three-hundred? In whose books? "But, for the first time in history, we are at war with a power not of our own Earth. Aliens, ladies and gentlemen, are very much real, they are very much advanced, and they are very much a threat to our ways of life. We hold one thing over them that they will never see coming. They're terrorists, and we eat terrorists for a mid-day snack just because we enjoy the crunch."

'The Eagle,' and that was a name he felt he'd never outlive, paced before the assembled soldiers, explaining it to them the way he explained it to everyone. "The Goa'uld rule through terror and ignorance. They keep their slaves in line through fear and they control their soldiers by feeding them a bunch of lies. They call themselves Gods, a laughable concept, but we're educators, always have been." Here he stopped with a smile on his face. "We will gladly teach them just how mortal they really are. After all, even Gods will fall to the forces we will bring to bear against our enemies."

"HOORAH!" the assembled soldiers answered in unison. That brought a different kind of smile to the veteraned soldier's face. He could already tell he was going to like these new recruits.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Control Room)*

The advanced sensors grid that was both housed within and sticking partly out of the mountain had detected the Asgard ship on approach even before it had exited hyperspace. As such, General Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill was already waiting for the message they were bound to receive.

"This is General O'Neill in the SGC, welcome back to Earth, Hermiod," he said in greeting the moment the connection was established.

"_Thank you, General. I am requesting permission to beam down to your Briefing Room."_

"Permission granted." As soon a Hermiod appeared, Jack went up to the Briefing Room himself.

"General Landry will be joining us shortly. If you'll just have a seat," Jack said, motioning to one of the chairs.

"Thank you. You did get our message then?" Hermiod asked.

"Yes, and let me start by saying thank you. I know how big of a risk you took sticking around that long," Jack replied. "It's telling that even the Asgard have reason to fear the weapons of the Ori."

Jack was about to start pressing Hermiod for specifics when General Landry's voice cut him off. "I don't give a damn what the IOA believes is appropriate," Landry said sternly. "I will release Ambassador Shen from the brig when I see fit and not a moment sooner."

"But surely this is considered an overreaction on your part," Woolsey tried to stress.

"Ambassador," Landry said, his voice coming from directly outside the Conference Room, "she blackmailed a General in the United States Armed Forces and smuggled illegal contraband into a military facility. That's enough of a reason for me to hold her until she's ready to stand trial for her crimes. If you want her released, you're going to need a presidential order or a war. Take your pick." Without another word, Landry walked into the Conference Room and poured himself a cup of coffee. "I hear the _Odyssey_ is damaged," he said without addressing what had just happened.

"Indeed," Hermiod replied as he produced an Asgard stone device from… somewhere. "Colonel Carter reports damage to every primary system, most of the secondary systems, and the both the hull and the space frame," Hermiod began before playing the recording of their conversation back to them.

"That sounds depressing," Jack commented.

"Indeed," Hermiod agreed. "Aside from the working life-support system, the _Odyssey_ is in a worse condition than the _Daedalus_ was after the Battle of the Void. To get the _Odyssey_ hyperspace capable will be the most pressing matter as full repairs can be conducted once we reach Ida. While it will be possible to effectively protect the ship from more stresses by reinforcing the hull with a series of forcefields, this solution will only be a temporary fix. With the Ori present in the system, it will be impossible for us to repair the _Odyssey_ on site. To do so, we would have to defeat the Ori. However, it would be simpler to move the _Odyssey_. To accomplish this, we will need to take a full complement of crystals to repair the damage done to the trays by the overload as well as replacement parts for several of the major systems. Once the engines and dampeners are operational, and we have reinforced the hull with the forcefields, moving the _Odyssey_ to a secure location to conduct repairs will be far easier."

"We're really going to owe you one after this," Landry stated simply.

"You are mistaken, General. It is **we** who owe much to the people of Earth," Hermiod countered likely.

"Of course you do," Jack said in an overly sarcastic. "Seriously though, what's the plan?"

"We dispatched four ships to your galaxy when we agreed to help you. There was the _Quaero_, which was to locate the _Odyssey_, and two _Beliskner_-class Asgard vessels led by a fourth, _O'Neill_-class Warship in case such an incident should arise."

"That's great, but we all know that's not going to be enough to destroy an Ori Mothership," Jack began.

"It will be more than enough," Hermiod assured him. "Our newer ships are evenly matched with the Ori's own, but we do not necessarily intend on destroying it. We need only to hold it off until we can repair the _Odyssey_'s inertial dampeners. Failing that, we need only to hold on long enough to beam over the supplies they need then retreat until the _Odyssey_ is ready to move again. Hopefully we can accomplish the task before we lose any ships."

"If your ships are an even match, why not just destroy the Mothership and do us a favor within a favor?" Jack asked.

"I have no doubt that the Ori will send for reinforcements before we can arrive. The more ships they have, the less time ours will survive. We have not yet installed our newest technology on two of the ships that are coming. They are 'Junkers,' as the Goa'uld would say," Hermiod explained.

"What's a 'Junker'?" Landry asked.

"A Junker is a badly damaged ship that was patched together with the intention of holding on long enough to be a distraction for the more intact ships. They will be piloted by remote and can be used for kamikaze runs if necessary. Of the ships we are sending into battle, only the _O'Neill_-class vessel is fully intact, though it too lacks the most advanced weapons to have been produced by the Asgard in the past few months. Those ships are all currently engaged in front-line combat and unavailable for this mission. We had to pull the _Clausus Cursor_ from the refit line to provide the necessary firepower for this rescue."

With a look that said, 'Now there's an idea,' Jack asked, "When do we start?"

"The other ships in the rescue fleet will arrive in orbit over Earth by early nightfall on the American West Coast. We will then replenish our supplies and leave once you are ready. Do to the nature of the rescue, the _Quaero_ will take any supplies the _Odyssey_ will need. This includes the medical supplies needed for the crew as well as the parts for the dampeners, hyperdrive, and sublight engines. In addition to those, any extra hull material you have available will be needed to expediate the repairs to the _Odyssey_'s hull."

"We won't have that done by nightfall," Jack said in a more serious tone. "Getting the materials from Area 51 is as simple as sending them a memo and beaming it out, but the medical supplies will have to be requisitioned and the crystals will either have to be taken from the _Apollo_ or crafted from scratch."

"That is understandable," Hermiod replied with a nod. "As long as the _Odyssey_ is not discovered before we return to reinforce them, there is not a timeframe for this mission. However, the quicker you gather the supplies, the greater our chances of success."

"Then I'll get right on that," Landry said as he walked into his office and returned with his laptop. "Area 51 has been informed and will be standing by to lower their jamming field once your ships are in orbit. The medical supplies here in the SGC should be enough to handle anything that the _Odyssey_' own supplies haven't already fixed. As for the crystals and replacement parts for the _Odyssey_'s engines… we're probably going to have to manufacture those by hand and on the fly. Knowing what, exactly, needs to be replaced would make things easier, but, given that we don't have that luxury, we're going to have to build the engines essentially from scratch."

"If you provide the components and schematics, I believe the _Clausus Cursor_'s manufacturing facilities will be sufficient enough to produce the exact components."

"Consider it done," Landry replied before hitting his radio. "Walter, forward a full copy of the _Daedalus_-class' schematics to the _Quaero_."

"_Message is away,"_ Walter replied a brief moment later.

The stone in Hermiod's hand shimmed with a silver light and the Asgard 'hit a button' before the schematics appeared over the stone. "This will suffice," the Asgard commented.

"There's just one stipulation that we have," Jack said. Hermiod looked up to him and simply blinked. "The President wants me to go with you. He's a little uneasy about having our only ship left in this galaxy leave with things being the way they are. I convinced him to allow it so long as I'm onboard."

"Very well then, I shall return to my ship and contact the Asgard High Council to inform them of the change in plans. You may be present during this if you wish. I believe Supreme Commander Thor wishes to speak with you anyway."

"Great, when do we leave?" Jack asked rubbing his hands together. In the usual flash of light, both Jack and Hermiod disappeared leaving Hank alone in the room.

Landry wasn't even phased. He just took his computer back into his office then walked off towards the mess hall.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (Admiral Adama's Office)*

"But they're from Earth!" Starbuck stressed.

"Yes, we know," President Roslin replied. "We got the briefing from Professor Howard on their 'Stargate' and the state of the galaxy."

"It's a lot more to process than the little tidbit you're clinging to," Adama added from his place leaning against the wall with a glass of whiskey in his hand. "There are honest to the Gods aliens out there and their historical texts both outdate our religious scrolls and are founded on facts."

"What?" Starbuck asked.

"Professor Naco, in an exhausted and mildly drugged state, told Doctor Cottle half of the story. After that, Colonel Viride sent the Professor over to fill in the details. They've agreed to help us find us Earth, but not if the Cylons are still following us. We have to lose the Toasters before we get to Earth because the _Odyssey_ is currently the only ship they have in this galaxy. Oh, and they have intergalactic FTL drives and a base established in the Pegasus Galaxy," Adama replied.

"We've been trying to come to terms with this since the briefing ended and that was before you set off in the captured Baseship," Roslin added with a shake of her head.

"That was two days ago," Starbuck said. That's how long it had taken them to get close enough to the _Odyssey_ to communicate with them… just to be told to run away again.

"It's a lot to process," Adama said again, "and not public knowledge," he added sternly.

"We're still debating which aspects of the debrief to reveal to the public. The fact that the Tau'ri are from Earth is one thing, but the aliens and the fact that even **they** don't know how to get home? I don't think the people are ready to hear that," Roslin informed her.

"They said they can find the way if we get them a super-computer," Starbuck countered.

"We've already had that conversation too," Roslin replied with a sigh of defeat.

"The only super-computers left in the fleet are the main computers on _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_. According to Professor Naco, our computers are barely advanced enough for her purposes," Adama added.

"Then they'll work?" Starbuck asked hopefully.

"Not unless we network _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_ together, and, even then, it'll take the computing power of both ships to pull off the calculations that are required, and that means we'll lose access to all of the system during the process. No DRADIS, no engines, no FTL… nothing will be left working but basic life-support. Then you add the Cylons to the mix and they'll not only be trying to hack our network, they'll also have free run of the fleet until we can undo the networks on the ships and respond to the threat."

"Frak me," Starbuck cursed.

"So say we all," Roslin solemnly agreed.


	19. Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 1: Full Circl

Chapter 18

Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 1

_Full Circle_

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_Quaero_ (Bridge)*

As the distinguished shape of two _Beliskner_-class Asgard vessels exited hyperspace accompanied by the truly impressive form of an _O'Neill_-class Asgard Warship, Jack let out a low whistle and said, "Now there's an impressive sight! Why didn't y'all send this many ships our way when the Ori first opened the Supergate?"

"We did not have the ships to spare," was Hermiod's annoyingly simplistic answer.

"So you can send four ships when we lose one of ours, but when the galaxy is invaded you can only send one?" Jack asked, more than a little confused by the logic in that.

"There is more to this mission than just retrieving the _Odyssey_. Supreme Commander Thor believes that the fate of the…" Hermiod began.

"…entire Asgard race hangs in the balance. I know," Jack finished for him.

"You may know, but you do not understand," Hermiod replied, blinking his big, black eyes. "How much longer must we wait until the supplies are ready?"

"Now that you have a ship with some cargo room, I'll radio Area 51," Jack replied before hitting his radio. After a moment he turned back to Hermiod, "They're ready."

"Yes, I know," Hermiod replied without looking at him. "They may reactivate their jammers whenever they so choose."

"Did you get the medical supplies from the SGC?" Jack asked, just to be sure.

"Indeed," Hermiod replied in a neutral tone.

"And the supplies from the ship yards?" Jack pressed.

"Indeed," the Asgard said with a sigh. "All we need now are the control crystals."

"Which you **can't** produce along the way, and yet you **can** reproduce the _Odyssey_'s sublight engines?"

"Crystal structures are more complex than you give them credit, General. Creating a crystal from pure energy leaves the structure perfectly aligned as a result of a computer doing nature's job. For your ships to work, the imperfections in the crystals are not only useful, but required. If modifications to the _Odyssey_'s systems were implemented, then, and only then, could we make the crystals en route to our destination without adversely affecting the ship's operation."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Location Unknown)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Infirmary)*

Walking into the infirmary, Davidson asked the head of the medical department, Doctor Jacob Jones, "What's the situation, JJ?"

"So far we've managed to stabilize the severe cases. There are still a few broken bones that we can't spare the pain killers for. There were only five concussions, all minor and taken care of. A lot of bruises from the mess hall, apparently the crew down there flew around and banged their heads on some pans. We have one person with a collapsed rib cage that's giving them trouble breathing. He was in the armory when the guns fell off the racks. Other than that, everyone else that came in here just had a headache from the pressure exerted on their bodies from the rate of deceleration and bruises from the same."

"What about fatalities?" Davidson asked, dreading the answer.

"In total, we've confirmed the loss of fifteen crew members due to the hull breaches and another three to overpressure, or due to having been thrown into something. Other than that, we're still searching some of the more remote areas of the ship because, when we did a headcount, we're missing a few people," Jacob replied.

"I can't believe this," Davidson said with a shake of his head while trying his best to cope with the losses they had taken. Eighteen out of a crew of two-hundred was still a significant number to any commanding officer's mind. "How are our visitors doing?"

"We scooped up six Vipers during the rush to get out, and, due to their less developed inertial dampening technology, they're used to pulling high-g turns in their fighters. They're actually the only ones who didn't so much as ask for painkillers when they came through here. I've checked them for any viruses or contagious diseases and found nothing, so they're pretty much just along for the ride like the rest of us. The Lucian Alliance prisoner Colonel Viride brought onboard is dead through no fault of my own. He broke free during the uncontrolled maneuvers and one of the guards shot him," Jacob replied while pointing to the bed in the corner that had a sheet draped over a dead body.

"Does it go against your morals to blow his body out of an airlock to keep the smell from spreading?" Davidson asked in a serious tone.

"Normally I'd say that it does, but the Lucian Alliance is a band of criminals and he's taking up room in my morgue. However, a body suddenly appearing outside of the ship might alert the Ori to our location so disposing of the body would be more easily done after we're not under their guns."

"And Cain?"

"I'm doing my job and keeping her alive, just don't ask me to care about her pain," Jacob replied darkly. "She's healthy, but she has a headache. Needless to say, she's at the bottom of the list of people who get meds much to her venomous disapproval. She seems to think being an Admiral in the Colonial Fleet should matter to me. Even then, it could be worse."

"Not the good news I was looking for, but you're right. Considering the circumstances, we're doing pretty well. Keep me informed. If anyone goes critical I want to know."

"Of course. Now, I do believe that Colonel Carter needs to see you in engineering. When they brought those guys up, some of them had glass sticking out of them, others had crushed body parts, and I pulled a crystal out of someone's foot, but don't worry they're all fine, or at least stable… for the time being."

"Thanks, JJ," Davidson said as he made his way down to engineering only to find Sam and the rest of the tech crew working to replace damaged consoles, and, surprisingly, still working on the inertial dampeners. "I thought you said that the dampeners couldn't be fixed?" Davidson asked, causing them all to stop what they were doing and look up.

"They can't, but I've been thinking. I told Hermiod that the system was totally fried, but I didn't tell him which parts we needed to replace. That means that the only way to be sure we can fix it is for them to bring another system all together. Well that, and…"

"What is it, Carter?"

"It's only a matter of time before the Ori find us."

"I thought they couldn't detect the ship while it's cloaked!" Davidson nearly shouted in panic.

"They can't, but… they know that we're still here. All they have to do is spin around in space shooting, and they will eventually hit us. That or they can send their fighters out in search patterns, and if one of the ships enters the cloaking field or runs into the _Odyssey_, they'll know where we are and we still can't move fast enough to avoid the resulting attack."

"So you're trying to repair the dampeners so we can move?"

"Actually, no," Sam said with an odd look on her face.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I can't repair the dampeners, but I might be able to use some of the parts in various systems to reverse engineer Merlin's phase-shifting technology."

"Okay… keep me informed," Davidson said with a hesitant glance over his shoulder as he turned to go check on the status of the repairs to the Bridge consoles.

As Colonel Davidson was making his way to the Bridge yet another alarm sounded. As the ship's internal comms system activated, Marks' voice came over the line. Davidson was relieved to hear the other man's voice as it meant he was finally well enough to report for duty.

"_Bridge to scanners, what's going on?"_ Marks asked.

With the damage to the consoles in the Bridge, all the systems had to be rerouted to different terminals throughout the ship. Communications, both internal and external, were in the Bridge, while sensors were rerouted to a terminal towards the front of the ship, engines towards the mid-section, and shields, weapons, life support and any other major system left was routed into any terminal capable of handling their operating systems.

"_Two more Ori Motherships just dropped out of hyperspace,"_ was the depressing reply from the sensors operator.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Landry's Office)*

A knock on the door drew Landry's attention away from his work. "Come in," he said gruffly.

"General?" Woolsey asked as he stepped into the room.

"Mister Woolsey," Landry said as she put down his paperwork and faced the politician.

"The IOA has decided that, for the time being, your reasons for Shen's imprisonment are justified," Woolsey informed him. Landry laughed in reply to the man's words and went back to his file. "You're surprised?" he asked.

"Surprised?" Landry countered. "I never gave a damn. The IOA has no official power to veto my decisions when it comes to the security of this base. Shen brought an illegal recording device into my base then tried to blackmail me. She's staying in prison until she stands trail, as I've already told you. What the IOA needs to realize is that they don't have the authority to naysay my decisions. This is my facility, the people here are my responsibility, I make the rules, she broke them, and now she's trying to use her standing as a political figurehead to override her own self-inflicted position. This, Mister Woolsey, is why I don't like politicians. You never stick to your code, your morals flip-flop too often, and your lack anything resembling a spine. She made her choices. She has to live with the consequences. I advise you to stop fighting for her freedom unless you want to have your access to this facility revoked, and, before you protest, I assure you that I **do** have that authority. Now get out of my office."

As one man left, his metaphorical tail tucked up under his legs, another entered. "Sir," Walter said to get Landry's attention. "I have the latest report from the Asgard. With the _Clausus Cursor_ in orbit, they've devised a means of helping us reach Pegasus. Since the Intergalactic Gate Bridge is down while Midway is still being built and _Daedalus_ is being stalled due to an issue with supplies needed for repairs, O'Neill pushed a request through to the Asgard High Council. Hermiod had the production facilities on the _Cursor_ produce a small power generator for us that he's installing as we speak. The generator, once hooked into the base's power supply, will allow us to sustain an intergalactic connection for the full thirty-six minutes once every two days."

"Finally, some good news!" Landry huffed. "I was one more bad report away from having the ZPM flown over from the Weapons Platform. Do we have enough material to send through for them with the Asgard taking our extra and the _Apollo_ needing the rest?"

"The _Apollo_ might end up a month or two behind schedule, but I think we can agree that getting the _Daedalus_ battle ready is a necessity. They barely avoided detection from that Wraith Cruiser a few days ago. Right now, they the _Daedalus_ more than we need the _Apollo_."

"Then have the Asgard beam the supplies over from Area 51 before they leave. Once the Gate's operational again, give it a test then dial _Atlantis_. I'm sure Weir and Caldwell will be thrilled to have the connection open both ways."

"Yes, sir," Walter replied before leaving to relay the orders.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Unknown Planet (Orbit)**

*Captured Baseship (Combat Information Center)*

"And this is where things go bad," Gabi said as she left one consul and rushed over to another. "Their Hybrid is trying to communicate with ours. Needless to say, you can't talk to something that's not there."

"Are we in position?" Oliver asked.

"Not yet," Gabi replied as she franticly typed away on the controls.

"We're being hailed," Cassidy informed them from her place at the comms station. Being the team's resident communications officer meant she had the most experience and know-how to repair and modify the system.

"This is actually good!" Gabi said as she dropped one project and started another. "If they open a channel…" she trailed off before smiling. "Gotcha!" she declared as the Baseship in orbit near them went dark. "Their systems are offline, but that's bound to change any second."

"Open fire!" Oliver ordered.

"Aim for the Heavy Raider bays," Kimi added as a pair of nuclear missiles fired from their own ship. One detonated amongst a Raider patrol to clear the airspace, but the other managed to slipped into the guts of the ship and detonate inside of the shuttle-like Heavy Raider bay. What wasn't destroyed by the nuke was torn apart by a combination of secondary explosions and a compromised space frame being pulled on by gravity.

"Send a message back to the Admiral," Oliver began issuing orders.

"Oliver," Marcus said, a hint of awe to his tone.

"Tell him that we've secured orbit," Oliver continued.

"Oliver!" Marcus said louder.

"They can…"

"OLIVER!" Marcus shouted.

"What?" the Colonel asked as he turned to their historical and cultural expert.

"I've been here before," Marcus said without looking away from the view of the planet below. As per Oliver's request, Gabi had duplicated the system she used in _Galactica_'s War Room. Their DRADIS system fed the information into a holographic projection system giving the CIC crew a clear look at their target as it hovered in the middle of the room.

"When?" Oliver asked.

"How?" Gabi added.

"About three years ago," Marcus replied as he pointed to a large portion of the planet that was covered in a black scar. "That's where the _Prometheus_ dropped a Mark VII on the active Gate."

"Why would we do that?" Kirsten asked.

"There were ruins on the planet that we identified as Ancient," Marcus replied as his voice went to that ever so rarely heard awestricken tone. "I've seen the images they sent back after they made it to _Atlantis_. Take away the ocean, and the city was just as beautiful."

"Then why did we nuke it?" Kirsten asked again.

"Because Ba'al showed up," Marcus replied with a dark edge to his tone. "He dialed in and started flooding the area with troops, then dropped a Ha'tak in orbit and cut us off from reinforcements. By the time the SGC figured out we weren't going to radio in and declared us missing, there were only twenty left of nearly fifty. They sent the _Prometheus_ to investigate, but she was never a fair match for a Ha'tak and Ba'al and Anubis had the most advanced Ha'taks in the galaxy. To clear orbit, Colonel Pendergast dropped out of hyperspace by the moon which was on the opposite side of the planet from the Ha'tak, launched the 302s, then moved to engage the Ha'tak."

"DRADIS contact," Amanda 'Andy' Uland, their sensors operator, reported. "The Colonials are jumping in."

"The 302s used the gravity of planet to slingshot around and gain a speed boost that let them blow through the Death Gliders," Marcus continued, unphased. "They hit the Ha'tak with enough ordinance that we could see the explosion from the surface, then the _Prometheus_ jumped in behind them and things really stared to get heated. By the time we had all been beamed out, the _Prometheus_ was about to lose her shields so General O'Neill ordered the Colonel to drop a bomb on the Gate. Needless to say, he did just that."

"Wait a second," Melissa said as she jumped into the conversation. "I remember that mission. It was my second time serving on the _Prometheus_ during an active engagement. We lost a fighter during that operation."

"I remember seeing it crash over the ridge and thinking we should go after the pilot, but our guards had already called the evac order and we were beamed out a second later. The _Prometheus_ firing the nuke at the planet was the only thing that got the Death Gliders to break off their assault long enough for the ship to make the jump into hyperspace while they tried to take out the missile," Marcus said with a sad nod.

"That's right," Melisa said with a shake of her head. "But the fighter wasn't destroyed. It lost power to its engines after clipping the Ha'tak's shield envelope. It got pulled in by gravity but the pilot managed to stabilize his plane. He crashed on the planet well outside of the effective lethal range of the Mark VII."

"You mean it's still intact?!" Gabi asked excitedly as she finally caught on to why Marcus was telling the story the way he was.

"That's exactly what I mean!" Melissa replied in an equally excited tone.

"What am I missing here?" Oliver asked.

"The computer on that 302, if merged with the Baseship's mainframe, would be enough for me to run the calculations that I need to get us back to Earth!" Gabi explained in a rush.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Orbit)**

*_USS Ares_ (Command Deck)*

Alarms blared throughout the ship as a whole as an unknown contact dropped out of hyperspace before the _Ares_. The ship that appeared on their sensors had many thinking that Star Wars had worked its way off of the TV and into their reality. The imposing view of the _Devastator_ was truly a sight to behold, and one they were all glad wasn't in the hands of their enemy.

"Unknown contact has opened fire!" the sensors operator reported before a barrage of plasma fire slammed into the shields of the _Ares_.

"Return fire," General Ervin ordered. Having plasma rounds slam into your ship was daunting. Knowing that all you had to return fire with was kinetic weapons that would be harmlessly absorbed by the enemy's own shields was even more so. However, not having to split the power production capacity of a ship between energy weapons and shields meant that the _Ares_ had an advantage that the _Devastator_ lacked; its shield would hold a lot longer than its opponent's.

"Sir, we're not going to get through their shields without anything short of a massive nuclear barrage," the tactical officer informed him as the helmsman took them through a series of maneuvers to avoid the enemy's fire.

The _Ares_, unlike her cousins, wasn't built for front-line combat. Her shield was powerful, yes, but only because her weapons were designed to hold off massive fighter swarms, not capital ships. She was also bigger by a significant margin. Where the _Daedalus_-class was two-hundred-twenty-five meters long, the _Ares_-class was a full five-hundred-fifty meters. That did not, however, translate into combat ability. Her size made her slower and more cumbersome and the extra space on the hull had gone towards anti-fighter weapons. Space was not the _Ares_' primary battle ground. She was a support ship.

No, that was inaccurate. She was an Invasion Carrier.

"Alright, skip to the part in the simulation where the Battlecruisers take out the enemy and prep the ground teams," the General ordered with a sigh. While it was true that the _Devastator_ was a tough nut to crack, he was hoping they could at least force her out of orbit. Needless to say, that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"Reinforcements have arrived," the tactical officer reported as two new blips appeared on their screens. They were, of course, just false readings being fed to the computers by the Alpha Site. They didn't have any other ships to participate in this exercise and that was depressing enough. "The enemy vessel is retreating."

"Drop us into the atmosphere before they regroup and make a counter push," the General ordered. "Taylor, ready your men."

"Aye, sir," the Command Chief Master Sergeant replied before hitting his radio.

*_USS Ares_ (Combat Deck)*

"_All hands prepare for atmospheric flight. Ground teams to ready stations,"_ the Eagle ordered over the radio and Chino's face lit up like a kid on Christmas.

"I can't believe we're working with this guy!" he practically squealed.

Alcatraz slapped in the back of the head as he walked past him. "Get your shit together, Chino. We've got hostiles waiting for us groundside."

The teams assembled in the barracks all rushed to the armory. They suited up in their new, standard-issue SGC combat gear, grabbed their weapons, and reported to the Ready Room where they received their mission debrief before filing into the hangar. The massive hangar doors that composed the far wall slid open to reveal the planet below.

"_Brace for clearing fire,"_ their CO ordered.

The weapons mounted on the bottom of the _Ares_ opened fire on the ground below and a section of forest disappeared under the barrage of hyperaccelerated rounds. Then the landing gear was deployed and the _Ares_ settled onto the surface of the planet a few kilometers away from the base in the mountain.

"_Team One, secure the beachhead,"_ the CCMSgt ordered.

The first wave of Pelicans lifted off from the floor with a roar of their lift thrusters before moving beyond the edge and making their way down to the ground. The _Ares_ sat two stories above the surface with her landing struts deployed, the ship's bulk doubling as a shield against orbital bombardment while the ship's actual shield continued to protect the armored hull.

"_Beachhead secured. Load up, boys, you're going in."_

The next wave of Pelicans that left nearly emptied the hangar bay as around a hundred of the three-hundred ground assault personnel were flown out of the frying pan and into the fire. Already enemy artillery shells were hammering away at the _Ares_' shield, the barrier flaring with each impact, but easily holding against the minor threat. Their Pelican set down behind the line that Team One had set up. Portable cover had been deployed, manned turrets assembled from crates, and already an armor line was rolling out of the _Ares_' dorsal armor bay.

Alcatraz took it all in and steeled himself for the fight to come. Taking the mountain wouldn't be easy.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Kobol (Atmosphere)**

*Cylon Heavy Raider (En Route)*

"And you're sure this will work?" Oliver asked skeptically.

"Have I failed you yet?" Gabi replied as she piloted the Cylon assault craft into the atmosphere.

"Well, there was that one time on Vaccus," Oliver said.

"Do **not** blame me for that!" Gabi shot back. "If anyone's to blame for Vaccus, it's Sheppard."

"I second that!" Tommy agreed immediately. "If he hadn't of screwed up, we wouldn't have been stranded on a Wraith world with no reinforcements."

The conversation died out as they flew along and they could see smoke rising from the ground below and ahead of them where the Raptor that preceded them had crashed after taking a SAM during its approach. When their own shuttle slowed with a flare of its maneuvering thrusters and set down a few yards from the crash site, Gabi turned to Oliver with a grin on her face.

"Go play hero," she said in a mocking tone.

"It's not playing," Oliver replied as he, Jack, Kimi, and Tommy all exited the Heavy Raider, their weapons drawn. They darted over to the shuttle, but their armor must've been a bit too much. The Colonial pilot, bleeding badly from the crash, opened fire on the metal clad figures he could barely see and forced the team to drop to the ground to avoid his fire. "Friendlies!" Oliver shouted over the noise of the man's gun. When they received no reply, Oliver said, "Jack."

The woman nodded once then disappeared with a thud of displaced air and a flurry of dirt being kicked up by her passing. "Clear!" she shouted back to them and they finished crossing the distance to the Raptor.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," the pilot was stuttering through a mouthful of blood.

"It's okay," Tommy assured him as he examined the man's wounds with a scanner built into his armor modeled after the Goa'uld healing device. "We landed a Raider right beside you after Cylons shot you down. I would've fired at the people coming out of it too," Tommy said with a light laugh. "Check the ship," he ordered over his shoulder.

"They're all dead," the man said sadly. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," Tommy assured him as he started pulling supplies out of his medical kit.

"No, this time the fault is ours," Oliver agreed. "I knew that ship looked familiar," he mused.

"What do you mean?" Kimi asked as she very carefully pulled a body… no, a person, from the wrecked shuttle.

"Remember when the _Odyssey_ first found the fleet we fought at the Tylium mine and we said that one of the Baseships looked different?" Oliver asked to which the woman nodded in reply as she applied pressure to a bleeding wound and Oliver rushed in after Jack to check for more survivors. When he came out supporting a wounded Doctor Baltar, he finished his explanation. "We did a scan and figured it was a troop transport. I guess this is why they had it with their fleet. They must've found this planet before we did."

"They're not dead!" Tommy said in a stern voice to the panicking pilot. "Look, here's Baltar. Come over here, Doctor."

"It's alright, Crashdown," Baltar assured him as he stumbled over. His wound was an obvious head injury that was slowly leaking blood.

Tommy scanned his head while the Doctor was still beside him and said, "You're going to be fine, Doctor. Your wound is superficial."

"Crashdown is your call-sign, right?" Kimi asked.

"Yes, ma'am," the man replied as Tommy finished wrapping the last of his wounds in an antiseptic-soaked cloth. "Well, get ready for the fame of living up to that name," Kimi said with a comforting smile.

Crashdown laughed at her words and smiled to the three people behind him who weren't dead after all. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Let's get you back to the Heavy Raider. Chief, can you walk?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, my leg's not that bad," Chief Tyrol replied as he stood up and started limping to the Raider while Jack lifted the sole dead body in an antigravity field and followed after Baltar while Tommy moved Crashdown, and Oliver and Kimi kept their weapons on the surrounding dirt.

"Gabi, get us to the 302 then take them up to _Galactica_," Oliver ordered as they settled into the back.

"Hold on," Gabi replied as she fired up the engines and took them low over the landscape. "Just in case," she said to Kimi who took the copilot's chair.

"A Raider picking up wounded Colonials would look suspicious," Kimi agreed with a nod before taking the controls.

"Set us down over there," Gabi said as she pointed at a large hill that dominated the forward viewport. "You ready for this?" she asked her assigned body guard.

"Just tell me what to shoot," Jack replied with a frown. She hated guard duty.

"Shoot whatever you feel is threatening you," Gabi said with a knowing smile. "I just need you to lift what I can't."

They set down with another small bump and this time Gabi, Jack, Oliver and Jesse disembarked while Tommy kept working on the wounded and Kimi kept the engines warm. The soldiers secured the area while the scientist started tearing into the wreckage of the crashed, half buried, and slightly scorched fighter. All eyes, except for hers, watched their surrounds with a well-founded unease. They weren't alone, and they all knew it.

Kimi, being the sniper she was, saw the first of the metal men and popped its head off before it even had a chance to crest the hill it was approaching from. Also being the sniper she was, she was lying on her belly inside of the Raider with her rifle and clips arranged around her so that she could change weapons or reload in an instant. Four more Centurions fell to her overpowered rifle before she had to reload.

The Cylons pressed their advance the moment the fire stopped, the metal monsters running with loud, clanking footsteps as they charged at the Humans. Jesse, being a short-range combatant, moved from one piece of thin cover given to them by the ruins they had landed in to another until he was close enough for his shotgun to be effective. He rolled from behind a low wall and fired a round that took off a Centurion's leg. The next round he fired took its head off before he dove behind another low wall.

Jack, seeing the enemy coming and knowing she wasn't supposed to go charging off after them, dropped to one knee and put the butt of her rifle to her shoulder. No charging didn't mean no fighting and Gabi had said to shoot anything she felt was threatening her. She used the heavily modified rifle the members of Oliver's organization had trained her to use after the Tok'ra removed the Goa'uld from her body. The nearly kick-less weapon allowed for great accuracy even to someone who had only trained with such weapons for a few months. Even then, she preferred Jesse's approached and would love to pull the shotgun off of her back, but that would be too tempting. She had orders and she had learned the hard way that disobeying orders got people hurt. Learning to care when one of her new-found comrades got hurt in battle was the hardest part of being de-Goa'uld-ified for her. Caring about people was strictly a Human sentiment in the eyes of a Goa'uld.

Oliver, still lacking a replacement for his primary weapon, had Kimi's secondary, smaller, less powerful rifle in his hands. The scout rifle fired one shot per pull of the trigger and Oliver had the accuracy to make that count. He also had the trigger finger to make the thing damn-near fully automatic. Jack needed to up her game when it came to using guns. One of these days she was going to find an enemy her powers wouldn't work again, and on that day, her gun would be her life.

But that was not today.

The rocket came souring at them from behind the hill that the Centurions had marched up, and Jack was the only one who could respond appropriately. She gathered the power that Nirrti had given her before Ba'al enslaved her and threw the unstable ball of space-time at the missile. The impact of the ball against its metallic frame caused the whole thing to explode as the field of entropic energy triggered the warhead beneath the skin. That got the Cylons' attention.

The amount of fire the metal men turned on her after her display of power had Jack crouching behind a thin barrier of light generated by her body. The rounds flying towards her were forced to curve away by the… honestly Jack didn't understand the science behind it. All she knew was that the symbiote that had made her life hell for all those years had left behind the knowledge of how to do the things it had used her body for. It didn't give her an explanation as to how she did them. She did know, however, that it worked by pushing the bullets away from her instead of allowing them to tear her body apart.

Then she remembered Gabi behind her and expanded the barrier to cover her too.

With a flare of its thrusters the Heavy Raider lifted up off of the ground and turned into the battle with his main gun blazing. Apparently Kimi had given up sniping the enemy. Instead, she turned their own weapons and tactics against them. With a hiss and a thunk followed by a series of booms, the Heavy Raider fired off three rockets that sent debris and metal bodies flying in all directions.

Behind her, Jack could hear Gabi shouting something. "What?" Jack asked as she turned to face the scientist… who was bleeding. _'Great,'_ Jack thought to herself. _'Oliver's going to kill me.'_

"I've got it loose, just rip it out!" Gabi shouted while pointing to a section of the fighter that had been cut away from the rest and left distinctly separated.

Jack didn't even bother with another question. She let the glow of her power surround her body then told it to 'lift.' The field of anti-gravity sprang into existence above the computer system and pulled the whole thing, wires and all, out of the fighter's rear section. "Now what?" Jack asked as she held the computer up.

Her answer came when the Heavy Raider lowered back towards the surface just low enough for everyone to jump in. Jack, after carefully lifting the computer core into the shuttle's rear, turned to Gabi and grabbed the scientist who had taken a round through her calf muscle while Jack's barrier had been focused on her own safety. "Hold on to your nuts," she told the woman.

"I don't have nuts!" Gabi replied before a boom deposited them both in the back of the shuttle. That had Gabi nearly vomiting out the back.

"Go!" Oliver shouted to the cockpit.

The door closed behind them and Jack let Gabi go so Tommy could wrap her leg. "How bad is it?" Jack asked.

"It's a clean wound," Tommy replied simply. "It went all the wall through and didn't hit the bone so it's actually easier to fix. All you have to do is stay off of it for a few days and let the muscle stitch itself back together."

"Yes, because Gabi's so incredibly good at following orders to stay off of her feet," Jesse said sarcastically as he nursed a minor wound of his own.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Surface)**

*Alpha Site (Gate Room)*

The gunfire tearing through the air was enough to keep most people ducking for cover. The assault on the mountain had begun nearly twenty minutes ago and the aggressors were making a strong push for the Control Room. Both of the halls leading to the nerve center of the base were under assault and they were failing to hold them at the Gate Room as they had been ordered. If they fell back now, the Alpha Site would be lost.

But it would appear the enemy was also running low on reinforcements.

Another assailant fell to the Intar weapons of the defenders and the others seemed to be taken aback. They were laying out suppressive fire now, but it was only because they were retreating. The defense team breathed a sigh of relief as their attackers fell back through the base until the hangar was the only room they still controlled, their tanks making a counter assault impossible. The enemy would regroup before launching the next wave, and they were running out of defenders just as much as the aggressors were running low on men. This was bad.

And it was over.

General Ervin marched past the Control Room and straight into his office as he shook his head at the losses they had taken. "Run it again," he ordered. "From the top."

"Sir, it's to be expected. They're not going to succeed in taking the Alpha Site. This base's defenses have been built up over years. It's built inside of a mountain for crying out loud! How can you expect them to take the base in one push?" his Executive Officer countered.

"My men aren't the problem," CCMSgt Taylor said as he arrived for the post-battle debrief. "It's your defenses."

"They made it to the Gate Room," General Ervin agreed with a solemn nod. "I wanted this exercise to show us where we can improve with the ground-based forces, but the exact opposite happened. With the Gate Room under their control, an attacking force could stop the Iris from deploying and call for back up. They were ten men away from achieving that goal! Once more hostiles arrived through the Gate, the Control Room would've fallen. We need to reorganize the Alpha Site's defenses."

"You should start by relocating the Control Room," Taylor casually suggested as he used a knife to cut into a peach he had picked up from the mess hall. Popping the slice into his mouth and sitting in one of the extra chairs in the room, the man continued. "I know it'll be costly and probably confusing for your men the first week or so, but having the Control Room so close to the Gate Room is a mistake. It should be deeper in the mountain with dedicated defense forces and turret nests. One way in, one way out. Protect the door at all costs. That's what I'd do," he said before shrugging and adding, "First," to the end of his statement.

"They modeled the Alpha Site after the SGC," Colonel Fray countered defensively.

"And I never liked the way the SGC was set up. It's foolish to leave the nerve center so close to a place that sees constant off-world traffic. It's to near the point of egress for any Gate-based offense to be effectively guarded against, and the Gate is a major target for any ground invasion by ship," the CCMSgt replied calmly. "Both facilities need a serious overhaul of their internal design. We know our enemies well enough now that we can tailor our defenses around their styles of attack."

"And how long have you been with the Stargate Program, Taylor?" Fray asked rhetorically.

"Six months," the CCMSgt replied while eating another slice of peach. "But I've been running my section of the Office of Airborne Intelligence for a few years now. I know how to do logistics, layouts, planning… intelligence is my specialty, yes, but I only got into Intel because, as a soldier on the front lines, I was tired of the assholes secured in their bunkers getting it wrong. Do you know what they say when you score a ninety-seven on the ASVAB?"

That caught Fray off-guard. "No, I don't," he replied seriously.

"They tell you that you can do anything you want. I decided on being a PJ. I only moved on because the Intel they kept sending me was trash. I started as a Cryptographic Linguist, worked my way up the ranks, then got assigned my own division. You know what I used that division for? Giving our soldiers Intel that wouldn't get them killed. That's what I'm doing right here, right now. You want to hold the Alpha Site against an attack force like the one the _Ares_ can bring to bear? You need to reinforce your defenses with a network of automated turrets and move the Control Room away from the Gate Room and deeper into the heart of the mountain. This room is positioned in a way that, with only two rounds from the _Ares_' main gun, I could collapse the entire chamber in on you. Granted the Goa'uld don't know where to shoot the mountain like I do, but my point still stands. This base needs an overhaul."

"And I agree," the General said, rejoining the conversation after letting the two officers speak their minds.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Unknown Planet (Orbit)**

*Captured Baseship (Combat Information Center)*

"You found **what**?" Oliver asked, more than a little shocked.

"The pilot died while giving one last report," Gabi explained as she plaid back the recording of a dying man. He mentioned a strong energy reading picked up by his sensors then closed his eyes and let Death take him. "I checked the sensors' log and found this," Gabi said as she pointed to the signature the pilot had detected.

"What am I looking at here?" Oliver asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's _Delphi_, home to Pythia, and, according to what I was able to find on the subject during my brief time studying _Atlantis_'s database when we were dropping the Intel on P3X-727 into their computers and hypnotizing McKay into searching for it, it's also the first City Ship ever built by the Ancients," Gabi replied excitedly.

"A City Ship?!" Oliver nearly shouted.

"Don't get your hopes up, now," Gabi forestalled him. "It's damaged beyond repair so there's no going down there and getting it working. Remember what Marcus told you. Kobol was destroyed during the First Cylon Uprising when the Thirteenth Tribe's wayward 'other half' returned to the home of their creators and nuked them all from orbit…"

"Colonial history really does repeat itself, doesn't it?" Kimi asked with a sarcastic huff.

"If that's true, then shouldn't there be a sect of the modern day Cylons that don't want to kill us? Because I'm not seeing that," Tommy countered.

"Long story that I don't know the details of made short," Gabi continued, "_Delphi_ is designed after the first generation of City Ships ever created by the Ancients. After this one came another generation then they finally settled on _Atlantis_. From what I can tell, the hill the fighter crashed on was actually the ship itself. It's not buried in sand," she quickly added when Oliver moved to interrupt her, "it's just built with an armored shell over it to hold in the atmosphere while they're flying. Unlike the _Atlantis_-class City Ship, the _Delphi_-class doesn't have a shield. The city's hull is torn open in some areas by the bombardment and the city itself was flooded with enough radiation to kill everyone inside. The engines were overloaded and made unusable and the rest of the systems are in a state of utter chaos."

"And you know this how?" Tommy asked.

"I ran a scan," Gabi replied impatiently.

"So we're discussing this because it's interesting from a historical stand point?" Oliver asked. "Why isn't Marcus here then?"

"Because the energy signature that the fighter detected is coming from another location other than the city," Gabi replied as she brought up the recorded scans. "This hill here is a naturally occurring geological feature with a cave in it that has a ring platform connected to an underground bunker. That's where the energy signature is coming from, and, just to peak your interests, I'm ninety percent certain that the energy signature is a ZPM."

"Keep talking," Oliver said with a smile on his face.

"I did more than take the 302's computer core," Gabi said as she turned to Jack. "Sorry about the extra weight."

"It doesn't bother me," Jack said with a shrug. "Sorry about the leg."

"I'll be fine," Gabi replied with a well suppressed grimace. "I also tore out the hardware that houses its sensors. While nowhere near as powerful as the _Odyssey_'s subspace grid, the 302's sensors are decades ahead of the DRADIS system we're using. I had Kirsten and a few of the others install them in a room we weren't using then dropped us into a lower orbit and focused them on the area in question. Yes, that's how underpowered the sensors are. Even with a Mark I hooked up to them, they were designed to allow a fighter to target Death Gliders, not a capital ship to scan a planet. They're designed for accuracy, not range. This is what I have…"

A holographic display popped up of what looked to be a tomb and Kimi, upon seeing one figure in particular, fell to her knees and started praying. "Athena," Oliver said as he looked at the woman that the Athamite Assassins worshiped as their matron.

"The problem I'm having now is that the bunker's systems appear to be offline," Gabi continued, mostly ignoring the woman's prayers. None of them would judge her. Kimi was family and family stuck together no matter what. "But check this out," Gabi said as she pointed to another of the twelve figures in the room.

"Apollo," Oliver nodded. While he was never religious and the House of Black never forced religious beliefs on their members like the House of White, otherwise known as the Athamite Assassins, did, he had respect for Apollo as a mythical being. They were a lot alike. Then he saw it. "His bow is empty."

"And his quiver's made of stone," Gabi said with a nod, a clear sign that Oliver had found what she wanted him to see.

"Got it!" Marcus said as he jogged into the room with a piece of paper. "I just got back from a meeting with a man in the fleet who worked at a museum on Caprica. He said that the Arrow of Apollo was brought to the colonies after their exodus from Kobol. It was supposed to be a gift from the Gods to remind them that they weren't alone. The caretaker said that they did scans of the thing once a year and never could identify what it was made of."

"Meaning it's probably Ancient tech," Gabi nodded.

"But it's on **Caprica**!" Marcus stressed.

"Then it's time we visited the Twelve Colonies of Kobol for ourselves," Oliver said matter-of-factly.


	20. Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 2: The Arrow

Chapter 19

Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 2

_The Arrow of Apollo_

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Kobol (Orbit)**

*_Battlestar Galactica_ (War Room)*

"They're useless to us?" Adama asked, more than a little off put by the idea of stalling their progress just to go backwards to get something that would allow them to grab a piece of technology they couldn't even use.

"To the Colonials, yes, they're useless. However, we are talking about a technology that, in the wrong hands, can destroy a star system," Oliver replied.

"We've seen it attempted before," Gabi added. "One of our enemies tampered with one such device than gave it to us. Had we used it, the resulting explosion would've destroyed more than half of our solar system and the other half would've been destroyed when our star went supernova as a result of the blast. What should really sell this for you, however, is what the Cylons could do with it."

"Right now, the main limiting factor in the Baseship our friends here captured has been power distribution and generation. The reactors they brought with them from the _Odyssey_, while smaller than our fighters, produce enough energy to keep a Battlestar flying under its output alone for years. With these advancements, the Baseship's communications, sensors, and FTL range have all been drastically improved. I've ran the numbers, Admiral. The power output of their generators make energy weapons feasible with the proper setup," Baltar explained. "If the Cylons got their hands on one of the Tau'ri's generators, we'd be screwed. If they got their hands on one of these… zero… point… things, the only factor left to limit them would be the power conduits on the ship and those are easily upgraded with a superconductive material like their… 'naquadah'."

"Interfacing the power output of a ZPM with an organic ship is still next to impossible, however. The Wraith, the enemy we told you about in the Pegasus Galaxy, are more advanced than the Cylons. The Cylons, with a boost in power, could possibly begin advancing at a rate that would allow them to become strong enough to take on the dominate powers in the galaxy. We need to keep this out of their hands," Oliver finished.

Roslin nodded at their arguments and thought it all over for a good while. "What did you have in mind?"

"A mission to Caprica with the sole intent of retrieving the Arrow of Apollo," Oliver replied.

"Can we afford to take the fleet that far?" Roslin asked.

"That would be too risky," Adama immediately countered. "Not only would their jump drives be over taxed, but we'd be flying them back into the heart of the enemy."

"_Galactica_ is similarly lacking in the FTL field to make the jump back to the Colonies without overtaxing her drive and being stranded sometime between the going and the coming. _Pegasus_, with the most advanced jump-drive in the fleet, would be the only viable option for a Colonial ship to be sent back to the Colonies, but her spine is still too damaged to be of much use and an active Battlestar will stick out like a sore thumb. We do, however, have on option that allows for the safe completion of the jumps, a shorter number of jumps, and, to top it all off, they'll never expect a Baseship in orbit of their claimed worlds to be there for any reason other than a patrol or a guard," Gabi said with a knowing smile.

"An infiltration mission," Adama stated with a grim look on his face. "Are you sure it'll work? If it doesn't, you'll be outnumbered, out gunned, and trapped in Cylon territory without any conceivable back up."

Gabi 'huffed' at that. "We've been in worse situations," she replied darkly.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Third Gas Giant from the Star (Lunar Orbit)**

*Zeta Site (Hyperspace Arrival Chamber)*

The need for secrecy that surrounded the Zeta Initiative's existence had left the teams under the project's Commanding Officer with a level of operational freedom previously unknown to SG teams. However, it came with a price. The Zeta Site was located on the boarder of Ba'al's territory where it met Lucian Alliance-claimed space. That left the members of the Zeta Initiative smack dab in the middle of a war they were tasked with fueling. As such, their ships needed to be undetectable from the moment they were created. Not only did they have advanced jamming and cloaking technology, but they also had a base setup in a way that allowed them enter and exit hyperspace without leaving behind any trace.

The Hyperspace Arrival Chamber was a massive stretch of an even more immense asteroid that had been hollowed out to allow ships to safely decelerate from hyperspace in the confines of the base. This prevented any prying eyes from detecting the subspace radiation burst associated with the opening of a hyperspace window and added another layer of protection to the base. The ship that dropped out of the forming hyperspace window quickly decelerated, a dedicated gravity beam helping to pull the ship to a stop before it had crossed more than half of the massive chamber that was big enough for a Ha'tak to safely decelerate from hyperspace speeds. However, given that the _Relentless Fury_ was roughly the size of an Al'kesh, the space wasn't needed.

From the direction of the heavily reinforced doors that led deeper into the facility, a beam of light scanned over the small ship as it simply waited for their ID to be confirmed. Once they were cleared, the shield over the door was lowered and the massive trinium-alloy doors opened to allow passage into the pressurized areas of the base. The small ship, after passing through the atmospheric retention barrier, settled down in a docking slip next to two more ships of her class, one of which was stripped of her armor and being worked on after having engaged a fleet of Ha'tak and stuck around longer than was advisable.

Bright flashes of light where the welders were working on the damaged space frame lit up the area with sparks flying as the powerful metals used in her design were welded into place by plasma torches. The repair crews looked up to the _Relentless Fury_ as it settled into its perch before returning to their work once they were sure the ship wasn't in need of repairs. The _Relentless Carnage_, the defacto 'flagship' of the Zeta Fleet, had been through hell and would be under repair for some time to come. Oliver's team, much like their counterparts, SG-1 and SGA-1, seemed to have a way of getting themselves into bad situations despite their best efforts to the contrary.

Andy, the newly promoted acting-commander of the Zeta Initiative, stepped out of his ship with his team behind him and made their way through the halls of the base in the asteroid they had come to call home after nearly three years of actively keeping Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance focused on each other instead of Earth. For the most part, the team split up and went their separate ways. They weren't needed yet and would rest before launching a major offensive like the one that needed planning. To that end, Andy needed to find their resident tactician. Predictably, he was in the lounge playing chess against some poor soul that had lost a bet to another member of the initiative.

"How's it going, Andy?" Jeramie asked without looking up from the game he was playing. He could play the entire game without looking at the board, but people too often accused him of cheating when he did.

"I've been given a promotion for the duration of our current emergency," Andy replied as he sat in one of the chairs and pulled off his boots. The metallic alloy they were composed of made them understandably heavy. "General Landry has authorized a joint strike amongst our teams against a target of interest."

"Being?" Jeramie asked casually.

"A planet with the designs for a fully functional planetary defense shield," Andy replied as he pulled off the gloves that were made of fibers impregnated with the same trinium-alloy as his boots and the rest of his armor. Next to come off were the bracers that covered his forearms. Only then did the chocking feeling leave his body. "As such, I need your advice."

"A scouting party would be wise," Jeramie noted as he moved one of his pieces, said, "Checkmate," then turned his entire attention to Andy. "Aside from that, I can't tell you anything until we have scans for me to base an assault off of."

"I figured as much," Andy said with a nod. "The _Flame_ is currently taking on fuel, the _Carnage_ is still blown to hell and her crew is still missing. That leaves the _Destruction_ as the only ship able to leave right now, but I'm not exactly feeling pressed for time. If at all possible, I want to wait until we can establish contact with Colonel Ry and his team. I'd rather have three ships as opposed to two, especially given the unknown nature of our target's defenses."

"Don't forget about the Ha'tak," Jeramie replied with a nod of his own. Andy's decision to wait was well founded. Attacking Ba'al or the Lucian Alliance was easy enough, their abilities were a known factor, but attacking an unknown party with unknown abilities was not something that either of them took lightly.

"Is she ready to fly?" Andy asked.

"Fly, shoot, confuse, sow chaos, take a beating… they finished installing and testing the last generator while you were gone. The alterations to the hull were finished late last night. The weapons have been installed, tested, and show great promise. Overall, she's not even recognizable as a Goa'uld Mothership."

"Good, we'll need her," Andy mused.

"So what took so long?" Jeramie asked once his opponent had left. "It's only a two day trip from here to Earth. You've been gone for five."

"There a few personal issues that needed to be cleared up," Andy replied. "We ended up staying on Earth longer than I would've liked, but it was necessary. Kade's sister died last week. We happened to be in orbit thirty-two hours before the funeral."

Jeramie sighed and shook his head. "We're all getting homesick," he said.

"Three years down, two to go," Andy replied.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Cyrannus Sector)***

**Caprica (En Route)**

*Captured Baseship (Combat Information Center)*

A Baseship's jump-drive, for reasons that were actually rather obvious, worked by making three consecutive jumps before entering a cool down cycle. With the incredible power boost provided by the Mark II Naquadah Generator hooked up to it and the navigational computers from the 302, getting to Caprica had been as simple as making three 'tri-jumps,' as Gabi had started calling them. The overcharged jump-drive did, however, have one serious drawback. The forces it put on their bodies was enough to make even the veteraned Colonials who were used to jump-drive technology feel nauseous.

"We're ready to perform the last jump sequence," Gabi informed the crew over the ship's internal network.

"Go ahead," Oliver ordered.

"Jumping into Caprican orbit in three… two… one…" Gabi counted down before the distortion overtook them, stopped, overtook them again, stopped, and passed over them once more before the central holo-screen showed a planet below them. Maneuvering thrusters fired across the ship's arms to stabilize their orbit then stopped and allowed the ship to drift in space undisturbed. "Stable orbit achieved, systems are good, FTL is recharging, DRADIS reads three other Baseships in our immediate area, and our IFF is broadcasting. With any luck, they'll just assume we're here to rest," Gabi said.

Outside of the ship, the arms of the Baseship that had been stalled in their regrowth by an order given to that section of the ship's automated systems once again began taking in energy and used it to regrow the damaged hull. The Cylons around them would, hopefully, just assume they were taking up a safe harbor while conducting repairs before heading out again.

"Have you located the museum?" Oliver asked.

Looking over her screens and putting in commands, Gabi reoriented the limited ability of their subspace sensors they had gained from interfacing the 302's computer and sensors core and brought up an image of the surface of the planet. The sensors scanned over the planet like a plane flying over the ground until a city came into view. A few seconds later, Gabi had their target in sight.

"There it is!" Starbuck helpfully informed them as Gabi scanned past the building without stopping.

"Okay, looks like it's still intact," Oliver said with a smile once the sensors had been properly focused. They hadn't come all this way for nothing. "Load up the Heavy Raider and let's get down there. Gabi, maintain radio silence. The last thing we need is the Cylons noticing an encrypted transmission they can't read or an unencrypted transmission that gives you away."

"No regular check-ins?" Kirsten asked.

"The subspace array broadcasts to everywhere all at once. It's not secure and any encryption we put on the normal channels will be detectable to the Cylons as a foreign code element. We can't broadcast anything without giving ourselves away. If we don't use Cylon encryption, they know it's us. If do use Cylon encryptions, they can read it and they **still** know it's us. We can't take that risk," Gabi replied as the military personnel followed the Colonel out of the CIC.

They made their way through the ship all the way to the Heavy Raider bay where all but three members of the ground team were waiting, the other three having been in the CIC to locate the target. "We're ready to fly when you are," Kimi said as he finished putting her rifle back together and placed it in one of the weapon racks they had installed to hold the heavier weapons they'd be taking with them. Having their pilot burdened by a rifle as large as the one Kimi used was not a very wise thing to do when flying into enemy airspace.

"Let's try to keep this quiet," Oliver ordered as he sat in the back with the rest of his team. Kimi and Gabi were the only ones who knew how to fly the Heavy Raider, but Starbuck was their guide so she took the copilot's seat and everyone strapped in.

"We have liftoff," Kimi said as the Heavy Raider pushed up off of the ground and flew out of the open hangar doors. "We'll be hitting the atmosphere in a few seconds so be sure you've got anything breakable strapped down," Kimi warned them before atmospheric reentry shook the shuttle around them. The Heavy Raider dropped out of the clouds, its hull glowing faintly as it dispersed the heat. "ETA to target, five minutes."

**Caprica (Surface)**

*Delphi Museum of Colonial History (Two Blocks Away)*

Tap, tap, tap. That's all he could hear and it was driving him crazy. Why couldn't the Godsdamned machine just sit still? "Stop! Stop that!" Helo nearly shouted at the annoying 'woman' sitting next to him.

"I'm nervous," Boomer replied.

"Like anything scares you," Helo shot back with a dark look at the thing he would kill if only there was another way off of this damned planet.

"Things scare me, Helo, I have feelings," the robot replied.

"You have software," Helo countered in an unkind voice.

"I don't know if you want to hear this or not, Helo, but what we had between us was important. It was very important," Boomer stressed.

"Why?" Helo asked, his tone making it clear he didn't really care about her answer.

"Because it was the next step. Because it brings us closer to God," Boomer replied.

"Don't mock the Gods, okay? It's a Human belief. I'm Human, they're **our** Gods," Helo said angrily.

"But, beyond that, I just want you to know that I genuinely feel something for you," Boomer continued despite his mood.

"I don't care!" Helo shouted as he turned on the robotic woman. "I don't love you! I loved what I thought was you!"

"Helo, I think there's something else that you should know," Boomer said in a tone that actually sounded like he had finally managed to hurt her. "I'm pregnant." Helo's response to her claim was cut short when a Heavy Raider flew over their heads and landed further down the street. "Frak!" Boomer exclaimed.

"Let's move," Helo ordered as he started walking away from their landing site.

"We need to go that way," Boomer said adamantly as she stood her ground.

"Why the hell would we go towards the enemy?" Helo asked incredulously.

"Two reasons," Boomer replied. "First, that's the Museum of Colonial History they just landed at…"

"It's a museum, big deal," Helo shot back.

"There's something there that Cylons have to be stopped from getting no matter the costs," Boomer argued. "That, and if a Raider can make an FTL jump, then a Heavy Raider can get you back to _Galactica_ and I know to pilot them," she added when Helo was unimpressed. "We might as well kill two birds with one stone."

"Fine," Helo grumbled, "but I'm getting off of Caprica today, or you die."

*Delphi Museum of Colonial History (Gallery)*

"So, what are we looking for exactly?" Jesse asked as the team exited the Cylon transport and started securing the area.

"One of these," Oliver replied as he pulled one the explosive-tipped arrows from his quiver. Why he still used the outdated equipment he did when Kimi had created a whole new class of bow for him was something only the Italian would ever fully understand. Even Kimi, who had known Oliver since before the formation of the Zeta Initiative, couldn't explain why he operated the way he did.

"Very funny, Colonel," Jesse said as he swung around a corner with his weapon ready. "Clear."

"Clear," Tommy added from his place at the other side of the room. They had landed in what had once been a glass-roofed room with walls covered in priceless paintings. Now it was home to a broken ceiling, a Cylon Heavy Raider, a team of aliens, and a lot of radiation.

"We should take the first dose of the anti-radiation meds now," Starbuck said as she injected herself with a needle, the others following suit. "That'll last us a few hours. We should get moving." No sooner had she said that then they rounded the next corner and entered a large room with a lot of display cases… one of which held the very thing they were looking for. "Sweet!" Starbuck exclaimed as she ran up to the case.

"Stop!" Oliver ordered her as he and his team searched the area.

"Why? What's wrong?" Starbuck asked.

"That was too easy," Jesse said.

"It has to be a trap," Kimi agreed as her right hand inched closer to her left wrist. When a howl filled the air and several objects fell through the ceiling of this area of the museum, she dove out from under a burst of fire and disappeared from sight.

As the Centurions around them unfolded from their drop positions and a Heavy Raider that definitely wasn't theirs lined up its guns with his team, Oliver raised his hands in weapon, but didn't fire, his teammates doing the same. Only then did a blonde female step out of a side room with a smirk on her face. "You must be the Tau'ri I've heard so much about!" the woman said with obvious glee.

"And you must be one of the psycho-bitches that the Colonials created," Oliver replied with a razor edge to his voice. "I'm going to enjoy killing you… again."

"You're outnumbered, outflanked, and even you can't survive a bullet to the head," the woman replied darkly.

"Neither can you," Oliver replied with a shrug. "You may be able to resurrect after the fact, but you'll still die, and, because I'm willing to believe Gabi over the likes of you, I'm inclined to believe you feel the pain of your death. Stand down, or I'll make that pain last for as long as I can."

"You're in no position to be making demands, Human. Submit to my forces, or I'll kill you and just study your bodies after the fact," the woman replied before there was a click beside her ear and she found herself being held in a tight grip, a gun pressed to her temple as a figure appeared behind her from thin air.

"Order them to stand down, or I'll blow your fucking head off," Kimi threatened.

The Cylon woman smiled darkly at her words then drove her mechanical elbow into the Human's ribs. Even with the armor she wore protecting her body, Kimi felt the air leave her lungs before the woman spun around and punched her square in the nose. It was times like this Kimi wished she had worn her damn helmet. Their armor had them for a reason!

Even as she reeled back from the blow, hell was breaking lose around her. Tommy, ever the heavy weapons enthusiast, spun up his man-portable auto-cannon and laid into the thickest concentration of Centurions while falling back into the tight group the team was forming with Jack at the center. As rounds from the Cylons bounced off of or pierced their armor, the woman's body glowed and pulsed before a barrier surrounded the team and the Cylons' bullets were forced away from their bodies.

Jesse, seeing that using a shotgun at these ranges was ineffective, dropped his primary weapon and drew the sidearm he carried with him. Precision was, sadly enough, never one of his strong points. That's why he used a weapon with spread. Still, he managed to put rounds into the thick armor plating of the Cylons and managed to do about as much damage as Starbuck was dealing out.

When the Heavy Raider started hammering away at Jack's barrier with its own cannon, the woman physically flinched under the strain. Tommy was laying out suppressive fire in a great enough quantity on his own to allow them to start moving, so Jack ordered them to start running for cover, and they did just that.

A quick retreat down the hall they had come from and the debris created by the nuking of the planet allowed them enough cover to let the former Goa'uld drop her barrier and collapse to the ground in exhaustion. That was when Jesse noticed that they were missing two people. Kimi was still over by the Cylon woman, and Oliver had moved to help her.

The woman had unnatural strength, which was, in hindsight, to be expected from the robotic humanoid. Still, Oliver had fought tougher enemies. Namely, he had spared with a pissed-off Tommy once, and only once. Two months recovering from that beating was enough of a reason to never try it again.

He ducked under the woman's left hook and brought his fist up in an arc that she side-stepped to avoid. Even with her inhuman reflexes, Oliver had been fighting for decades. Ever since he was young, too young in the opinion of almost every Human on Earth, he had been fighting and killing in the name of his masters. With a simple flick of his wrist, he pulled the thin blade that was tucked up under his gauntlet and lashed out. Even as the Cylon dodged his fist, the knife was carving through her flesh.

It was the Cylon's turn to reel back with a pained look on her now sliced-open face and Oliver used that moment to his advantage. He grabbed Kimi under the armpit and pulled her to her feet before shoving her towards friendly lines. The two of them ran through a hail of gunfire and Oliver activated the electromagnetic repulsion field in his armor.

The Wide Field Array, as Gabi had named it, worked in a similar fashion to the barrier that Jack could produce with her body, but on a less efficient scale. It worked by projecting a magnetic field around the person wearing the emitters that interacted with any conductive materials entering the field. The conductive material, according to the laws of electromagnetics, would generate a current in theirselves that would then create a magnetic field of the same polarity as the field itself. Because a North magnetic pole repels a North magnetic pole, the bullet would be shoved off course by the like magnetic fields pushing against each other. The most obvious downside to this technology was that it could only stop rounds that contained conductors in them. Led lined, coper jacketed, or iron rounds were easily affected, but plasma rounds would pass right through it without slowing down. Thankfully the Cylons didn't have plasma cannons like Ba'al.

Because of this downside, it didn't do anything to stop rocket propelled explosives either. The wrist-mounted rocket launcher on the Cylon Centurion fired off a small missile that hit the wall beside the retreating Colonel and threw him to the ground in a confused heap. His ears were ringing, his head was throbbing, and he couldn't feel half of his body. He could more feel than hear the beeping from his armor telling him that the armor plates had been compromised and the Wide Field Array had been damaged beyond use. How he could feel the sounds more than hear them would later be described to him as a result of the damage to his eardrums.

Through the fog that had filled his mind and numbness that had overtaken his body, Oliver managed to push himself into a sitting position. The world spun around him so he leaned back and let the wall support his weight as he tried to clear his vision. When his eyes finally refocused, he saw the Cylons advancing on the hallway he knew his team was retreating down. The number of rockets being fired at the opening to the hall was enough of a reason for anybody with half a brain cell to retreat further, so the Humans did just that.

With no small amount of effort, Oliver ordered his hands to do as he commanded and managed to grip the bow that hung from his back. With a grunt of yet more effort, he brought the weapon up then reached back and groped around for an arrow. When he finally managed to maneuver the shaft into his line of sight, he almost smiled. It was a combination of desperation, dread, and sadism that lead him to find joy in the last arrow he had left. It wasn't an explosive-tipped arrow. No, it was better than that. It was his 'mini-nuke' arrow.

As Oliver struggled to get the back of the arrow to attach itself to the string through his haze, he mentally noted to himself that, if he survived this, Kimi was going to be pissed. In the corner of his eye he could see her custom-built rifle lying under a pile of rubble, most likely bent and therefore useless. Somewhere in the back of his clouded mind, he noted that he had lost two weapons on one mission. He'd never hear the end of this.

'_Focus,'_ Oliver ordered himself.

He drew back his arm, the act causing his body to scream in protest, but he had learned to work through pain a long time ago. In service to the Brotherhood, he had suffered worse wounds than this. Survival was the only option he had, and he would survive to the best of his abilities. Once he drew the bowstring all the way back, he used his finger to prime the high explosive. Inside of the large bulge at the end of the arrow, one of the greatest creations ever conceived by the Furlings flared to life. They called them protostars. Oliver called them weapons of mass destruction.

Designed as a source of power, the protostar was supposed to be an artificially created star you could control the size of and use to power anything you wanted. The one Oliver was using was about the size of a small marble. That's more than he needed, really.

With a determined grunt, Oliver aimed for gunship hovering overhead and let the arrow fly. In his mind, Oliver heard the 'thunk' of the arrow hitting the gunship and sticking into the armor. He knew it wasn't real, but he was in too much pain to care. Even then, he managed to smile through that pain as he closed his eyes. Above him, the containment unit built into that remarkably small star's chosen method of delivery failed. As it did, that marble-sized star expanded into a ball of plasmatic flames as the explosive more vaporized than destroyed the gunship. Then, as the star began to implode due to instability, a surge of powerful gravity pulled the plasma back in and the star collapsed into singularity that then simply vanished.

As it did, a forth lethal force was unleashed. First the kinetic energy of an arrow in flight, then the vaporizing heat of plasma followed by the crushing gravity of a singularity. Finally, as the last act of violence the weapon offered, the singularity fully collapsing into itself caused a shockwave of force to slam into the museum. The roof then promptly came crashing down on the Cylons and the Colonel alike as it did.

Though he wasn't aware of the time change, the darkness that surrounded him was lit by a blue glow before white light flooded in as the obstructions were removed, but he wasn't even awake to behold the sight. Instead, he was lying there, peacefully. Almost like he was taking a nap on a fine afternoon. Then Jack saw the side of his face that had been exposed to the explosion. It was burnt. The skin either red from the heat or blackened where it had been too much for his body to handle. The left side of his body was burnt pretty badly and his ears were bleeding. Where the armor had given in to the explosive force, the cloth beneath was burned away and the exposed flesh had obviously been burnt as well. Unlike his face, however, the skin on his arm and leg was only mildly red. Clearly the armor had taken the brunt of the blow.

Tommy looked the man over with his eyes before typing a set of commands into the small screen built into his gauntlet. The scanner planted in the palm of his armor's glove scanned the Colonel's body all the way down to his mental state and the heavily built man smiled grimly. "He's alive," Tommy announced to the two women standing over him.

"How bad is it?" Kimi asked, her nose braced, wrapped, and not bleeding anymore.

"He'll continue to live," Tommy replied. "I might have to do a skin graft on his face, but that's debatable. Knowing Oliver, he'll just let it scar over. I need to stabilize him before we can move him." Without any other words of explanation, Tommy set about the business of fixing what he could with what supplies he had.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Third Gas Giant from the Star (Lunar Orbit)**

*Zeta Site (The Black Bunker)*

The Black Bunker was where everything had gone… strange. The bunker was heavily shielded and located deep within the asteroid that their base was built in. It was Furling in nature, that much they knew, and its existence had eluded them for years. The reason the Zeta Site had been built here instead of on a planet or a moon was simple. When General Landry was brought to the SGC to replace General O'Neill, it was so that a new sub-branch of the SGC could be operated by a renowned black ops General as opposed to a special forces General. This had led to a test.

General Landry sent Colonel Viride on a mission to steal a piece of technology from one of Ba'al's subordinates as a test of the efficacy of such a set up, and, of course, to test the Colonel's skills. He came back with the first Al'kesh to be assigned to their 'expeditionary force,' and a little black box. The box had been the primary target while the Al'kesh was both the exfiltration plan and the first attempt at gaining a ship for the Zeta Initiative to utilize in its missions.

The ship didn't last very long and was destroyed during their second mission, and the map in the box had led them here. The Zeta Site had been built in the asteroid for multiple reasons. Not only was it located right where they needed to be, it was also the location of the Bunker, and, to top it all off, it was the only system left in the known galaxy with any measurable amounts of dark matter ready to be mined. It had taken them months before Gabi finally hacked through the Bunker's advanced computers and opened the door. What lay inside changed her forever.

Upon entering the room with Colonel Ryan Mitchel right behind her, the two being the only ones up that late into their night cycle, a device had activated and the woman was lifted into the air. The Colonel tried to pull her free, but only managed to get between her and the blast that followed. Gabi's mind had been linked to the computer through the use of advanced technology, and the Colonel's body had likewise been connected to it. Similar to the 'Ascension Machine' on _Atlantis_, the two had their genetics altered on the base levels. Gabi gained all the knowledge of the race that had created the Bunker, and Colonel Ry's body was evolved to a point where he could manipulate dark matter with his mind.

It was not a blessing, however, as the Colonel's body rejected the changes and tumors began to grow throughout his body. While the doctors kept him stable, Gabi's mental aptitude shot through the stratosphere and her IQ went with it. Using the knowledge available to her, she designed the _Relentless_-class Stealth Frigates they used, implanted the Colonel with a device that would battle the cancer to a stand-still so the doctors could remove it all before finishing what the machine started and altering his genes to be capable of handling the new powers he gained. Then she used that knowledge to decipher the encryptions on the computers, declared the Bunker to be a Furling construct, translated all of the information she could in the time she had, and then had the doctors implant another device in her own mind that would stop the information there from consuming her. Thusly, the Zeta Initiative had gained its single greatest asset…

A partial, yet still extensive, knowledge base of the Furlings.

This led to rapid increases in their understanding of existing technologies and allowed for their armor designs to be produced using a method the Furlings had invented. Using artificially generated high gravity fields, materials were crushed together to create a denser weave of metals. They were also able to duplicate the Furlings' production facilities in the asteroid which allowed for the creation of the radical new designs the Professor would wake up in the middle of the night with. Needless to say, and mostly unbeknownst the General Landry, the entire success of the Zeta Initiative rested mostly within the mind of the one woman who could understand the Furling database well enough to use their advanced technology.

And us it they did.

Cloaking devices for their small ships, anti-proton thrusters for great speed and acceleration, helium-3 fueling systems, weaponized lasers, kinetic energy weapons that put Earth's railguns to shame, ship-grade and personal armor production, compact and very powerful railguns fit into small arms… the list was both extensive and impressive. It was also classified.

Everything that could be used to help Earth had been separated into data packets and uploaded to 'alien computers' that were then left at prearranged drop sites across the galaxy. General Landry sent teams to these worlds on a monthly bases, and, piece by piece, the SG teams were led to believe that they were gathering valuable technology to help defend Earth. Sending the whole database back all at once was Oliver's chosen course of action, but General Landry had, in order to protect Earth from any backlash generated by the actions they took, had Sam rig the Zeta Site's Gate to be incapable of dialing Earth, and Earth from dialing them.

A number of other precautions had been taken to assure that their actions would never be traced back to Earth, the most effective being the invention of races like the Impolans. Needless to say, both the Impolans and Mimner were fabrications to keep anyone but the General who ran Earth's defenses from knowing the truth. The _Devastator_ being dropped off at the Alpha Site instead of Earth had been one such example. Only Generals Landry, O'Neill, and Hammond knew the truth about the Zeta Initiative. They were, after all, the ones who developed the idea.

To help sell the whole thing, the countries who donated troops to the Initiative were told only that their men would not be heard from again for five years. That's how long they were supposed to stay out here before it was believed Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance would be weak enough for Earth to take them on publically.

All this and more ran through Ry's mind as he stood in the Bunker that he so often found himself drawn to. He rubbed the back of his head where the thin line marked where the neural implant had been anchored to his skull and attached to his brain and central nervous system. He should be used to this by now, but he still felt hollow inside. Ever since Gabriella had saved his life, he had just felt… different. His capacity for feeling emotions was still there, but his ability to express them had been traded for an ability to continue living, to continue fighting, to continue making the stars a safer place for those he loved.

"Colonel?" Andy, for the voice had to belong to the man, asked from behind him.

"I have been debriefed on the situation," Ry replied without looking away from the machine that had changed his life. "We will launch the scouting party as soon as the ships have finished refueling."

"We'll wait for you in the War Room," Andy said before leaving. They all knew that, every now and again, Ry spaced out and needed to be alone. They didn't understand it, but they did respect it.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Cyrannus Sector)***

**Caprica (Surface)**

*Delphi Museum of Colonial History (Relics Room)*

Finally, after searching for what felt like hours, Starbuck found it; the Arrow of Apollo. In reality she knew it had barely been a few minutes, but she didn't care about that right now. She knelt down and picked up the Arrow, noting its strange weight. It wasn't made of any type of stone or metal she had ever seen or felt before. Then she heard movement behind her.

"Pretty, isn't it?" the blonde woman asked. Starbuck turned towards the woman, her gun sliding out of its holster as she turned, but the woman was faster. She punched Starbuck in the chest and sent the recently promoted Lieutenant flying back into a wall. Starbuck grunted through the pain, but managed to hold onto the Arrow. "Hello, Lieutenant. Something I can help you with?" the woman asked, half of her face practically melted by the explosion that had brought down the ceiling. Starbuck intended to let her pistol reply for her, but she realized that she'd managed to lose her grip on it when she was hit. "Welcome back to Caprica, Lieutenant. Like what we've done with the place?"

The words were followed by a series of very powerful blows landing on Starbuck's chest. She could feel her ribs on the verge of breaking under the onslaught and tried her best to cover herself, but the robot was both stronger and faster than she was. Needless to say, Starbuck was getting her ass kicked.

"Come on, Starbuck," the woman taunted before kicking her in the ribs, the blow knocking the Lieutenant to the ground. "Got anything left?" she demanded before kicking Starbuck in the head. The force of her inhuman shin impacting Kara's head made her wish that being stubborn had really given her a thicker skull. The daze she was in was complete with stars in her vision, but she managed to see the woman kneel down to pick up the Arrow. From the look on the Cylon's face, she was about to use it to kill her.

The Cylon gripped the Arrow like it was a spear and drew her arm back, but, as she thrust it down, she found her wrist in the equally powerful grip of a Human. The Human, one of the aliens, twisted Six's grip until the joints in her arm were ready to break under the pressure. With no alternatives left, Six kicked the Human in the chest and sent his bulk flying backwards, her shoulder popping out of socket as a result. Despite taking the blow that should've broken his sternum without much protection, because the Human wasn't wearing armor right now, the Human rolled when he hit the ground and was back on his feet in an instant.

With an almost animalistic growl, the Human ran at her, and, after ducking under a haymaker punch, delivered an uppercut of his own. The force of the blow snapped Six's head back with neck-breaking force and lifted her feet from the ground from the power of it, but her Cylon body simply creaked in protest instead of breaking as she retook her feet. She stared at the Human. The Human stared at her. Then the battle really started.

Despite the enhanced nature that her Cylon body had, this Human managed to match her in terms of strength, endurance, and durability if not outright surpassing her. The one advantage she had was speed, and she used it for all it was worth. With a rapid procession of punches and high kicks gearing the Human up for blocking her attacks on his upper body, Six then dealt a blow to his knee. The kick she landed bent the joint backwards and the Human backed off with a shout of pain before he began cursing.

"FUCK!" the Human shouted as he limped backwards. Six smirked at his pain… until he planted his weight on his injured leg, twisted his body, and snapped the joint back into place. Several more curses followed as he fell to the ground in pain. Picking up Starbuck's dropped sidearm, Six walked over to the Human's downed form. What she saw stopped her short.

"What are you?" she asked as she could see the wound she had dealt the man moving beneath the torn skin. The muscles in his leg could be seen reattaching themselves to the shattered joint even as she witnessed the bone repairing itself. Fragments were moved into place by the muscle threads then sealed together seemingly on their own will before the skin itself started to visibly grow back over the breach the bone had created when it was forced out. It was like watching a Baseship heal itself, and it was something she knew no Human should be capable of.

It provided the necessary distraction for Tommy to hook his good leg under her ankle and bring the woman to the ground. He spun up onto his feet, his knee holding his weight well enough, but he wouldn't be running for a while. Planting his weight on the still healing knee, he swung his good leg back and delivered the most powerful kick he could to the woman's face. This time, he had the satisfaction of hearing something snap.

"FUCK!" he shouted again as he hobbled over to Starbuck, rubbing his injured knee and limping on a bruised foot all the whole. Then he looked her over. "Wake up!" he shouted while slapping her face. Starbuck shook off her daze and looked up with unclear eyes.

"Frak!" she shouted before jumping up and running after the retreating Cylon who had the Arrow of Apollo in hand.

*Delphi Museum of Colonial History (Main Entrance)*

When the half-burnt woman ran around the corner with the Arrow of Apollo in hand, Helo drew his sidearm and was just about to fire when the woman skidded to a halt at the sight of him… before being tackled from behind.

"Starbuck?!" Helo all but shouted as he ran up to the hole the duo had fallen through. Down in the darkness, Helo could just make out the Cylon woman who had hunted him for so long suspended in the air by a piece of rebar that had impaled her through a mechanical heart. Next to her, Starbuck was lying on the ground seemingly unconscious. "Move!" Helo ordered while prodding 'Boomer' forward. The woman jumped down into the hole and Helo jumped down after her. When Starbuck coughed up a bit of blood, Helo moved to her side and helped her sit up. "Okay, okay, come here. Okay. I can't believe it. You are like the last person I expected to see," Helo stuttered.

"I could say the same thing about you," Starbuck replied with a smile that showed off her bloodied teeth.

"You okay?" Helo asked with a laugh. The only reply Starbuck gave was a grunt. "Ah…" Helo said with a knowing nod.

"I missed you," Starbuck finally managed. Then she saw the thing standing behind him and reacted faster than Helo thought possible. She had drawn his sidearm from his holster and aimed it at Boomer so fast, he barely managed to shove the gun aside in time.

"Hey! I…" Helo began.

"She's a frakking Cylon!" Starbuck cut her off while trying to shoot Boomer.

"No, no, no! You can't, you can't… She's pregnant!" Helo stressed.

The scream that escaped Starbuck's throat at that was loud, high, and earsplitting. Still Helo managed to hear the voice in the background. "Hold on, Kara! I'm coming!" a male shouted before a heavy body hit the floor above them and weapons fire rained down into their little hole. Helo managed to get his sidearm from Starbuck and returned fire while protecting Kara with his body as best he could.

It wasn't until a sharp pain caused him to double over that Helo finally heard Starbuck shouting over the noise of gunfire. "HOLD YOU GODSDAMNED FIRE!"

Helo, still recovering from the punch to his reproductive organs that Kara had delivered to get his attention, had no choice but to comply. From the lip of the ridge, Tommy stuck his head over and looked down at them. "You've got a Cylon down there, Kara!" Tommy shouted down to them.

"He's with you?" Helo asked through the pain.

"It's complicated!" Starbuck shouted at both.

*Delphi Museum of Colonial History (Gallery)*

Jack let the glow subside and the last piece of their ride out of here fell to the ground. Kimi, who had been collecting what was left that they could salvage while Jack suspended the fragmented hull, came back carrying the medical kit that _Galactica_ had given them before they left. "At least we'll have the anti-radiation meds," Kimi said as she handed Jack one of the needles. "Inject yourself with that in two hours," she ordered before moving back into the Relics Room and handing Jesse another needle with the same orders. When she reached Oliver, she nudged the Colonel and held the needle towards him.

Oliver, with a slight hiss of pain, moved his burnt neck to lift his head and see what she was offering him. "That's not morphine," Oliver said in a disappointed tone.

"That particular part of the ship was the one that got hit by the missile," Kimi replied sadly as she sat next to him. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Kimi," Oliver said sternly. "Don't beat yourself up, that's an order."

"Yes, sir," Kimi replied obediently.

In the privacy of her mind, she smiled at his spirit. It really would take more than a rocket, an exploding gunship, and a collapsing building to break this man. She found strength in that, as she always had. It was that resolve that had drawn her to him when they first met. The fact that they nearly killed each other during the meeting was typical. The House of Gray, now divided, had several issues between the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood. The House of Black, the Brotherhood, and the House of White, the Sisterhood, had once been inseparable. Then a difference in agreement led to the houses splitting and the country they controlled split in two as well. That was ancient history from back when Italy and Greece were one nation united against the rest of their 'flat' world, and that was a very, very long time ago.

Tommy rounded the corner between their current location and where he had gone looking for the Arrow of Apollo with Starbuck. He was limping which had Kimi thinking that something had happened between the duo until she saw the two figures following behind the two she had been expecting. "Cylon!" Kimi shouted as he drew her smaller rifle and sighted down the scope before anyone else could react. The only thing stopping her from pulling the trigger was the Human standing between her and her target. "Move!" she ordered the stranger.

"I'm not touching this with a forty-foot pole," Tommy grumbled before limping past Starbuck and leaning against the wall before sinking to the ground.

"Care to explain?" Kimi demanded.

What she expected to hear was the tale of a Cylon prisoner… not the story of a man in love with a fucking machine! In the man's defense, however, it was impossible to tell them apart. Kimi just never thought that the Cylons would have working reproductive organs. Still, a pregnant Cylon was just asking for trouble.

"Fine," Oliver relented as the arguments continued on for nearly twenty minutes, "but I'm not explaining this one to the Admiral."

"The Admiral?" Helo asked.

"The Old Man got promoted," Starbuck replied casually as she checked her watch. "We should get moving. The Toasters are bound to send reinforcements soon."

"Should we try sending a signal up to orbit?" Jack asked as they grabbed their gear.

Tommy helped Oliver up to his feet and supported the half of his weight that the cooked muscles in his injured leg couldn't handle, once again giving a rather begrudged 'thanks' to the bitch who had altered his genes before injecting him with nannites. Nirrti had a bad reputation when it came to the Zeta Initiative's members. She had experimented on two of them, though Jack was over three-hundred years old and Tommy had only been experimented on in the past seven years.

"I can't exactly advise that," Boomer replied. When Kimi glared daggers at her, the 'woman' explained. "The transmission would be picked up by every ship in orbit. Not only would it give away our position, it would also reveal the nature of the ship you brought. Having an IFF only goes so far."

"It's not an IFF," Tommy countered with a shake of his head. "We captured the entire Baseship."

"How?" Helo asked.

"Right, you weren't there," Tommy said with a sigh. "It's a long story, but we've got time."

"Talk and walk at the same time," Oliver ordered as they set off. "We need to find a vehicle."

"One that wasn't affected by the EMP or the radiation?" Helo asked with a huff. "That's not likely."

"I know where to find one," Starbuck said with a dubious smile.


	21. Rescue

Chapter 20

Rescue

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

The Motherships had launched their fighters after dropping out of hyperspace, the small craft quickly fanning out and beginning to search the area. Each second passed like its own small eternity. In such a state of mind, Davidson barely registered it when Sam said, "It's only a matter of time before one of the fighters flies into the cloaking field and discovers us," but the only thing Davidson could think was, _'I've failed them. I was put in charge of these people's safety and I've failed them all.'_

"Colonel Carter, what's the status of your reproduction of Merlin's phase shifting drive?" Davidson was surprised to hear his own voice ask.

The daze he was in was broken only by her response. "It's still not complete, but we can use it."

Turning to face her he asked, "What are the risks?"

"Without a proper setup, we're looking at a massive power draw. It would require the ZPM's total output capacity… and then some."

"How long would it take?"

"With a couple modifications to the power grid, I could get it working in half an hour."

"Excellent, get it done as soon as possible," Davidson said before turning to leave the Bridge.

"Sir, there is a catch. I need **all** of the ZPM's power output. We're going to have to drop the cloak, channel the energy into the phase shifter, **then** go out of phase."

"How long will that take?" Davidson asked almost afraid of the answer.

"Give me thirty minutes to adjust the power the grid then it's just a matter of pushing a few buttons. We should finish phase shifting before they have a chance to send anything our way." After a moment of thought Sam added, "However, from my experience being trapped in that alternate reality, I can say that if they do fire anything at us it is a very disturbing experience to see weapons fire pass through you."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Caprica (Surface)**

*Delphi (Residential District)*

"You weren't kidding," Helo said, more than a little impressed by the vehicle before them. The garage itself was also impressive. The damned thing was practically a fallout shelter with all the lead in the thick concrete walls.

"He always was paranoid," Starbuck said with a smile as she held up the keys. "And predictable."

"So we have transportation groundside," Jack said as she took in their new ride. "Now what?"

"Now we find a spaceport and get the hell out of here," Tommy replied with concern in his voice. Oliver was getting worse. He stopped being able to walk about a mile ago and Tommy had been carrying him ever since. "He needs antibiotics or he's not going to last much longer."

"You said he'd live!" Kimi exclaimed.

"That was before you told me that all of my medical supplies went up with the Raider," Tommy countered.

"Stop… fighting…" Oliver ordered through his heavy breathing.

"Just hang on," Tommy told him. "I'm not giving up on you yet."

"Oliver?" Jack asked when there was no reply.

"Let him sleep," Kimi said soothingly. "He's tired."

Jack, not being used to needing medical treatment because she always had her symbiote, wasn't aware of the fact that, when one suffered a head injury, they weren't supposed to sleep. The others knew it, but they also knew that keeping Oliver awake would only make his pain worse. The look on Tommy's face was enough to spur the others into motion. They were running out of time. Fast.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"_Alright, we're ready,"_ Sam said as she finished her modifications to the _Odyssey_'s power grid down in Engineering.

"Go ahead, Colonel," Davidson ordered.

With a significant drop in power levels, Sam shut off the cloak and started diverting all the power the ship could produce into the unfinished phase drive. Down on the engineering deck, the oversized hunk of scrap parts Davidson had seen Sam working on started drawing in all of the ZPM's power as well as part of the ship's. Marks, sitting beside the Colonel, let out a low whistle at the power levels being consumed.

"Even _Atlantis_ can raise its shields and cloak without using that much energy," the Major commented.

With an awful whirring noise, the central piece of Sam's contraption began to spin and the edges started to glow brightly. In a blinding flash of light, the device activated, emitting a field of white light that quickly engulfed the _Odyssey_'s small form, but not, however, quickly enough.

Colonel Davidson was standing on the Bridge of his ship watching the developing situation with growing anticipation. One of the Ori fighter groups was headed right for the _Odyssey_, and, if Sam didn't finish in time, they would have to divert all the power to the shield, taking away any and all hope of activating the phase drive and of surviving this fucked up situation. Add to that the fact that cloaking and moving wasn't an option and things were looking bleak.

Looking out the window, he was momentarily blinded by a flash of light so bright he could see it even with his eyes squeezed shut. Once the flash in his vision disappeared, Davidson noticed that the world seemed hazy. Everything outside of the _Odyssey_ seemed to be blurred with motion as if they were moving extremely fast… except for five Ori fighters. Finally it all clicked in his head and, hitting the comms channel again, he shouted, "All hands brace for impact!"

As his cry echoed through the halls of his ship, Davidson realized that it was useless. The power to the shields was fueling the phase drive and they couldn't be raised, not with what was left in the capacitors. The five Ori fighters had breached the transition zone and had been pulled through with them. The two leading fighters had a delayed reaction caused by the flash and crashed into the hull of the _Odyssey_. One of them breached a weekend spot in the armor. The other crashed into the gate symbol for Earth that was proudly emblazoned on the side of all of the 304s.

The impact to the _Odyssey_ coupled with the lack of inertial dampeners caused it to rock violently giving voice to the pure destructive power of the explosions that had just ravaged the small ship, a voice that would've been silenced had the shields been active. As the _Odyssey_ stabilized beneath his feet, Mitchell, who had deiced to volunteer for sensor duty, took one look at his screen and knew he was in trouble.

The Bridge of the _Odyssey_ was nestled in a small, bunker-like structure at the joint in the neck of the ship where it meets the main hull. The common misconception amongst the enemies of the Tau'ri was that the Bridge was located in the tower located towards the rear of the ship, but really it wasn't. The tower at the back was where the sensors room had been moved to after the consuls in the Bridge had been busted. The tower at the back was where Mitchell was… and that's where the three remaining Ori fighters were headed.

As the fighters impacted the _Odyssey_ and the hull was breached, Jacob, put in charge of the life support consuls, quickly sealed off the breached area from his place in the Infirmary. Then Davidson waited until, finally, the team manning the internal sensors made the announcement. _"Damage is minimum and no one was in the area. I repeat, no casualties."_

Sam ran onto the Bridge just in time to see the remaining fighters fly right over the Bridge's forward viewport. Although she was one, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the fighters were after the Bridge. Crippling an enemy's ship is combat one-oh-one. Too bad for them, the Ori didn't know that they had just flown past it.

Running up to the comms consul, Sam hit the button and shouted, "EVACUATE THE TOWER!"

The room spun around him as Mitchell tried to get up only to find himself once again shoved down by the force of yet another impact. The Ori had opened fire on the tower and the armor would only hold for so long. Then he noticed the end-tail of an Ori Mothership's main weapon's fire as it passed right through ship. Mitchell closed his eyes, expecting death, only to remember that they were out of phase, but the fighters must've been as well. As the armor started to give, Mitchell closed his eyes one last time and let the light consume him.

*****_**Quaero**_** (Bridge) [a few seconds earlier]***

Jack looked out of the viewport onto the scene before him, a look of pure horror on his face as he saw three Ori Motherships fire their main weapons at the _Odyssey_. Already he could tell that something was wrong. The _Odyssey_ had a distinctive blur to it almost as if it was accelerating at a high speed, but he knew that was impossible with the damage to the dampeners, engines, and everything else that had been fried.

His look of horror quickly turned to one of confusion when he witnessed all three beams passing right through the _Odyssey_'s small form… without any effect? "What the hell?" Jack asked in total bewilderment.

Hermiod did a quick scan of the battlefield then reported in his dull voice, "It would appear that you were correct to believe that Colonel Carter would contain the situation. According to our readings, the _Odyssey_ is out of phase enough to be immune to weapons fire."

"Now **that's** what I'm talking about!" Jack whooped in relief. With a look of realization he added, "Uh… does that mean we can't tell them we're here?"

"One moment," Hermiod replied. "It is possible that, with a slight modification to our communications array, we will indeed be able to communicate with them. However, it will be impossible to beam over the supplies they need while they are out of phase. They will need to drop the field before we can transfer the supplies."

"Whoa!" Jack exclaimed in surprise as the rear tower of the _Odyssey_ erupted right in front of them. "I thought you said they were out of phase!" he added with an accusing look at Hermiod.

"It would appear that a small number of fighters were drawn into the field with the ship. We cannot help them until the field is deactivated."

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

Davidson watched on as the Ori continued to fire shot after shot at the _Odyssey_, each beam passing harmlessly through the hull. _'Sam wasn't kidding,'_ he thought to himself with a shudder born of fear, not cold. Then he felt the impact and the following explosion. To his surprise his lonely post on the Bridge suddenly became full of crew members, Colonel Mitchell being one of the new arrivals.

Looking towards the back of the Bridge, Davidson saw Sam sag against the back wall in exhaustion. With one look at the situation, Davidson nodded and held out a hand to pull one of the crewmen to their feet.

Mitchell was the first speak. "God, Sam, are you going for a record or something?!" he asked between closed eyes and very heavy breathing.

Finally finding her voice, Sam replied, "To be honest, I didn't think that would work. There was a rather real possibility you'd appear between the deck plates, but I had to do something." A beeping noise caught the attention of those on the Bridge. Checking the terminal next to her, Sam turned to Davidson and said in a near whisper, "Life signs detector just did a head count," the hesitation in her voice unintentionally creating an air of suspense, "we lost seventeen people in the tower."

Her words struck like a freight train. Now they were up to thirty-five fatalities, and twenty members of his crew were still MIA. Fifty-five out of two-hundred. The _Odyssey_'s personnel list was growing dangerously short in Davidson's opinion.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Engineering Deck)*

Daniel was in the engineering room with Vala when the fail-safes kicked in and the sensors were put in the terminals before them, expelling the engine controls that had been there before. The ship-wide comm had been left active in all of the major sections such as the Bridge, tower, med bay, and engineering. Vala and Daniel heard Sam's announcement and immediately the mood in the room had grown significantly darker.

When one of the consuls beeped, Vala managed to read the screen through her forming tears. Suddenly she jumped up and shouted, whooping with delight which only confused Daniel and the others in the room. Looking at her like she had gone crazy, Daniel asked, "What is it?" his voice also chocked up with emotions over the loss of their fellow men and women and the increasing feeling of dread that was consuming the entire crew. At this point, very few of them were still optimistic about being rescued… and Daniel couldn't blame them.

"Four more ships just dropped out of hyperspace. All of them Asgard. All of them attacking the Ori. We're saved!" Vala said all of it over the radio so that the people in the Bridge, who were facing away from the Asgard ships and towards the Ori, could hear. Her words, like Sam's, hit like a freight train, but this time it was more along the lines of a train pulling up to the station to carry them away. All throughout the halls of the _Odyssey_ the crew was cheering, exchanging hugs, and congratulating each other on a job well done.

Little did they know, their troubles had only just begun.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

After hearing Vala over the radio, Sam swallowed the lump forming in her throat and squared her shoulders. Standing up straighter, she walked over to the doorway and said, "They won't be able to beam over any supplies while we're out of phase. I'm heading down to engineering to shut off the drive." Before she could leave, Sam noticed a flashing light on another terminal. "We're being hailed…" she said, slightly confused.

"Put it on screen," Davidson ordered in a quiet voice, the shock of everything still prevalent in his mind. As the connection came through, Sam and everyone else on the Bridge was surprised to see Jack O'Neill smiling back at them.

"_Hey guys! How's it going?"_ he said in his trade-mark 'stick it to the man' tone.

Before anyone could respond, two more explosions sounded against the hull and three more beams flew harmlessly through the _Odyssey_ along with a barrage of lesser weapons fire from the Ori Motherships before the three massive vessels turned to face off against the newly arrived Asgard ships as the fleet opened fire with their massive globs of ionic energy. When the _O'Neill_-class warship moved into view of their viewport, its massive guns firing, Davidson finally let the breath he was holding leave his lungs.

Noticing another flashing light, Sam pressed the appropriate buttons to make a 'two way call,' for a lack of a better way of putting it. They were all relieved to hear Erie, the girl in charge of the weapons, whoop, _"Ori fighters inside the field have been downed!"_

"_Why the hell are the weapons not in the Bridge?"_ Jack asked over the open channel.

"Long story and I'll explain later, but right now I want to know how the hell you were able to contact us," Davidson asked.

"_Hermiod says that you only took the _Odyssey_ part-way out of phase. We can still see you, but no one can harm you," _Jack explained.

"Like any of that matters!" Sam shouted in frustration. "We've got injured people and damaged systems to fix. I'll be in engineering shutting down the phase drive. Provide us with some damn cover would you? It'll take a minute to get our shields back online!"

As Sam stormed out of the Bridge, Mitchell turned to Jack and said, "Don't blame her, sir. She's got a too much guilt on her mind and not enough sleep to realize it's not her fault."

"_I can understand that,"_ Jack replied in a subdued tone.

"Sir, I feel it imperative to inform you that Colonel Carter was unable to complete the phase drive in its entirety before we were forced to use it. Due to this fact, the drive is currently pulling all of the ZPM's power output as well as all of our hyperdrive, sub-light, and shield power. You're going to have to intercept all of the incoming fire headed towards the _Odyssey_ until Sam can get the shields back online," Marks promptly got the conversation back on track.

*_Quaero_ (Bridge)*

"Hermiod would you be so kind as to ordered one of the Junkers to intercept the fire headed towards the _Odyssey_?" Jack asked the small Asgard.

After pressing a few buttons on his terminal, Hermiod ordered the _Chemo_ to block the Ori's weapon's fire. Once the ship was in position, there was a blinding flash of light and the _Odyssey_ could now be seen without the previously described blur. Hermiod wasted no time in beaming the supplies over to the _Odyssey_ so the repairs could begin. While the Asgard's _O'Neill_-class ships may be an even match against the Ori, the un-upgraded and older _Beliskner_-class would be torn apart rather easily which helped towards tipping the scales against their favor. Also working against the Asgard was the fact that, while they had four ships, two of their ships were already heavily damaged and only one of the remaining two was even a warship. The _Quaero_ just wasn't designed for front-line combat, and, as a result, the Asgard were losing ground, and they were losing it fast.

The Ori Motherships, as they began to focus their attention on the newly arrived Asgard Warships, sent their fighters in bulk to harass the seemingly insignificant Earth vessel. In response, the _Odyssey_ launched all of her own fighters… and a few that Jack had never seen before. The result was a rather spectacular dogfight between the drastically outnumbered 302s and the strange fighters reinforced by the _Odyssey_'s railguns versus the Ori fighters numbering upwards of seventy-five to only sixteen 302s and six of the unknowns.

'_Hell, if they're helping us I'll take it,'_ Jack thought to himself.

The _Bissell_, the other Junker in their fleet, was the first to lose its shields. It took two more hits from the Ori's main weapons systems and exploded into a short-lived fireball. As the systems monitoring the other remote-controlled ship started to indicate its shields would soon fail as well, Hermiod asked, "Colonel Carter, what is the status of the repairs?"

*_USS Odyssey_ (Engineering Room)*

"We need five more minutes," Sam replied frantically as the engineering teams replaced as many crystals as they could as fast as they could. The strain in her voice was as emotional as it was actual weariness.

"_Then I regret to inform you that you will not have five minutes,"_ Hermiod said in his annoyingly neutral voice, obviously unaware of the strain the _Odyssey_'s crew was under.

His response was one of the engineers working with Sam yelling, "WE CAN'T WORK ANY FASTER THAN THIS!"

"_Then we shall hold on for as long as we can,"_ Hermiod said before ending the communication without as much as a goodbye.

"Calm down, Captain. We'll get through this," Sam assured the panicking man. With a deep sigh, Sam thought, _'Whatever was on that damn planet better be worth the losses we've taken.'_ Then it hit her. They didn't need to fix everything right now. "Get the hyperdrive, dampeners, and engines working!" Sam ordered as she abandoned the work she was doing on the sensors and started handing crystals to the woman who was pulling out the burnt and blackened ones out of the hyperdrive's tray that wouldn't work anymore.

Around the room, the assembled crewmembers dropped repairs to the shields, weapons, comms, and everything that Sam hadn't just mentioned. Fixing the whole ship in five minutes would be impossible, but they only had to get into hyperspace to survive this day. Three minutes later, Sam stood up straight, her back popping after being hunched for so long, and darted over to the terminal that controlled the hyperdrive. She powered the drive up and was happy to see a lack of sparks indicating that they had gotten the system working again.

On the other side of the room, another system came online and a report followed. "The sublight tray's been replaced so we won't have to worry about overloads, but the damage to the engines themselves will prevent us from reaching maximum speed."

"Can we safely decelerate from hyperspace?" Sam asked.

"Only if we have enough room. It'll take us over five-thousand kilometers of open space for the engines to counteract our exit speed in their current state."

"And the dampeners?"

"We're just getting your patch on the system working again. We can't be bothered to repair the whole thing," another crewmember replied.

"Then we're clear?" Sam double checked.

"We are," the woman beside her replied.

"Have the Asgard pick up the fighters, we're moving!" Sam ordered as she brought the three systems needed to move the ship to full power and tore open a rift in the fabric of reality.

When a semblance of consciousness returned to him, the pain was greatly subdued. He reached up, tenderly, and felt the soft fabric that encased his face. His lungs felt better, no longer as if they were full of ashes. The left side of his body felt healthier, as if the muscle and skin had, at the very least, been cooled. _'We must've made it back to the fleet,'_ he thought as he sat up. He was still a little light headed, but he could tell something was wrong immediately.

He was in a tent.

His hands reached for his weapons to find them missing, then he looked down. His armor had been stripped away as well. He was bandaged where injured and obviously had undergone medical treatment, but he couldn't say whose hands had done the work. Then the flap opened, and the Human-form Cylon who had shot Adama a few weeks ago entered.

The only thing that stopped him trying to kill her was the woman who entered behind her. "Jack," Oliver practically croaked.

"Good to see you showing signs of life again," Jack replied with a smile before leaning out of the tent and shouting for Tommy. The man in question entered in a hurry and knelt over the pallet Oliver was lying on while looking over his wounds with his armor's built-in scanner. "We're not prisoners," Jack assured him.

"You can tell that's what I'm thinking?" Oliver asked as Tommy unwrapped his arm, reapplied some type of cream, then rewrapped it before moving on to his leg.

Jack shrugged then pointed to Boomer. "Her being here is a sign of trust," Jack explained. "She's the one who saved you."

"How?" Oliver asked.

"Your people wanted to raid a hospital being held down by an entire battalion of Centurions. I convinced them to let me go in instead since the Centurions won't shoot me," Boomer replied.

"Why?" asked, still skeptical.

"Because not all Cylons are bad," Boomer said. "Not all of us wanted to go to war, but the Consensus is based off of majority vote, not unanimous decisions. Only two lines opposed the genocide. Two out of seven isn't a majority."

"How long was I out?" Oliver asked Tommy.

"Nine hours," Tommy replied. "The sun's set, and, before you ask, we're camping out with the Resistance."

"The what?"

"Not everyone died in the bombing," Tommy explained. "After the hospital, we were making our way to the edge of the radiation zone where the Cylons set up a spaceport. Like you said, get a ship and get off-world. On the way, we were ambushed by a group of Colonials. It took a while for them to believe us that there are only twelve known Cylons that look like Humans and longer still for them to believe that, according to that one over there, only seven of them are represented by the Cylon Collective."

"Only seven?" Oliver asked.

"It's a long story," Boomer replied. When Tommy was done rewrapping Oliver's leg, she grabbed a box of gauze that sat on a table beside her and tossed it to him so that he could check on Oliver's half-wrapped face.

"I'm not going anywhere, and, unlike the Colonials, I'm more likely to judge you as an individual instead of a group," Oliver prompted.

**Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

Davidson looked out of the transparent material that made up the _Odyssey_'s windows and admired the beauty of the swirling vortex-of-a-tunnel that is hyperspace travel. _'I never thought I'd actually miss this nauseating swirl,'_ he thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted when Sam came back onto the Bridge with a look on her face that said, 'I'm sorry.'

After a deep, bracing sigh, Davidson asked, "What happened?"

Taking a calming breathe of her own, Sam began. "We just finished doing a check for power. The phase shifter took more energy than I initially calculated. While the ZPM handled it without any trouble, the ship itself didn't."

"Colonel, I have a massive headache and I don't really feel like thinking right now, so please explain this in as **simple** a way as you possibly can," Davidson interrupted.

"To put it simply, sir, the ZPM draws power like a battery and has plenty of charge left. The ship, however, runs off of consumable materials and burns through it like gas in a car. The Colonials use Tylium, the Asgard use neutrinos, the Ancients use ZPMs, but, personally, we use a scaled down version of a nuclear reactor. It heats up large quantities of water and turns it to steam that's then used to spin a magnet inside of a coil of naquadah wiring…" Sam trailed off then rephrased the entire explanation.

"Liquid naquadah is our gas," she said simply despite it being a highly inaccurate statement. "We used up enough of the liquid naquadah stores that we're essentially running on fumes."

"So we're going to be stuck running off of the ZPM until we get more liquid naquadah? What's the problem with that? If the ZPM can handle it, we're fine, right?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, Sam took a nervous glance around the room. "Sir, our reactors are designed to…" stopping to word it in a way he would understand, Sam said, "take an electrical charge, run it through the naquadah to boost the power, then distribute the energy throughout the ship." Once again the statement was far from accurate, but it would get the message across. "The larger the charge going into the liquid naquadah tanks, the larger the charge coming out, but the more of the liquid that's vaporized. We can use the ZPM to make a bigger initial charge so that the resulting charge is bigger, but our power conduits aren't large enough to handle the power of a ZPM plugged directly into the power grid. It would overload all of our systems. To put it simply, sir, our ships are designed to run off of gas, not the mother of all batteries."

Explaining the extremely complicated and highly advanced power generators they used on their ships in such an inaccurate and stupid manner actually managed to leave a bad taste in Sam's mouth.

"So once we run out of gas, we're stuck?" Davidson asked.

"I've been trying to see if I can reconfigure the ship's power distribution systems, but I can't. At least, not without landing, stripping away the armor, and doing it by hand."

"How long?" Davidson asked in reference to both how long they had until they were powerless and how long it would take to conduct the reconfiguration of the power grid.

"We'll be able to rendezvous with the Asgard but we won't make it to Ida without their help. As for the reconfigurations… well, they would take at least a month of work if done by hand."

"Well then, I hope the Asgard will be able to help us with this. If they can't… we'll run out of supplies long before the repairs can be completed, unless we find a planet with a Gate."

The _Odyssey_ lurched under them as the ship dropped out of hyperspace then jolted to a halt when the Asgard, already waiting for them thanks to their more advanced hyperdrives, caught the small ship in a tractor beam. The inertial dampeners, having been largely repaired by the replacement of the crystals, softened the blow enough to only have people stumbling.

"_Hey guys, didn't think you were gonna make it,"_ Jack said over the now open comms channel.

"Well, you know the Asgard," Davidson replied. "They'll always be faster than us. Anyway, Carter says we have a problem."

"_She has already informed us, Colonel. We received a copy of the diagnostic report some time ago. Do not worry, Colonel Davidson, we have a solution,"_ Hermiod reported as the 302s launched from the _O'Neill_-class Warship and returned to the _Odyssey_.

"Great, wanna fill me in?" Davidson asked.

"_We will use the _Cursor_'s matter converters to repair the _Odyssey_. Thanks to the foresight of the Area 51 shipyards, we have the necessary components to repair the internal systems, and, after sacrificing the _Chemo_, we will have more than enough material to fix the structural stability of the impact sights, as well as to rebuild the tower,"_ the little gray man replied.

"_I'm sorry, but are you saying that the Asgard now have matter conversion technology that can be used against other ships?"_ Jack asked from beside the Asgard.

"_We have had the technology for quite some time. When the Goa'uld landed on a planet under the Protected Planets Treaty, we would use the technology to destroy their unshielded ships,"_ Hermiod replied.

"_Oh, so that's what the weird beam of white light was. Yeah I remember now. Thor used it back when we broke his 'Hammer' on Cimmeria,"_ Jack said with an 'ah-ha' face.

With the _Bissell_ destroyed, there were only two other ships left other than the _Quaero_. The _Clausus Cursor_ was still fully intact while the _Chemo_ was still barley holding together, as was the nature of a Junker. Hermiod had decided to use the _Chemo_ as spare parts for the _Odyssey_, mainly in the form of conversion to naquadah. The refinement process would take the large ship and render it down into near nothingness. The energy required to make liquid naquadah on the level of refinement needed to run the Asgard systems onboard the _Odyssey_ would all but consume the ship leaving only a few thousand gallons of liquid naquadah in place of the millions of metric tons that went into its construction. Since a full tank wasn't needed, however, restoring the ship's structural integrity would be the first order of business and the schematics provided by Stargate Command would assure it was done properly.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Engineering Deck) [sixteen hours later]*

Sam was tired. Hell, they all were. After more than half a day they were finally done repairing the _Odyssey_. The small ship had been struck by beams of white light from top to bottom, back to front, left to right, and everywhere in-between. And what was the end product? The _Odyssey_, fully clad in her trinium-alloy armor, the tower fully rebuilt, structural integrity fully restored, all of their terminals repaired, and their supply of liquid naquadah restored enough to get them to Ida and back to Earth again without running out.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Kobol (Surface)**

*Tomb of Athena (Sub-Level)*

"He wouldn't! Would he?" Gabi asked as she turned away from the door she was trying to hack open and looked to the people behind her.

"One of the Heavy Raiders just entered the atmosphere," Kimi answered as she looked at the computer she was holding. It was linked to their Baseship in orbit and displayed the sensors readings.

Getting back to the fleet had been… relatively simple. All they had to do was get to the spaceport, take it by force, then load up the two Heavy Raider that the two pilots could fly before making contact with the captured Baseship. After that, Gabi just sent their own Heavy Raiders down on an automated course and gathered the nearly three-hundred resistance fighters. Then they started jumping back to Kobol, but, as Gabi would then discover, they had left their IFF on and, as a result, six Baseships had followed them. Now they were in the middle of a standoff with _Galactica_ aiming nukes at the planet, _Pegasus_ covering the retreated fleet, and the captured Baseship holding the Cylon Fleet at gun point. To make matters worse, they weren't ready to leave the planet yet.

"Send a message to the Admiral and let him know that he's not to let anything past him until **after** he's been removed from orbit by force," Oliver practically growled through his still sore throat before storming back up the hall to where the rings were, Kimi and Tommy right behind him. The rings deposited them inside of the stone structure of the tomb above and the trio marched out of the door as Tommy pulled the massive cannon he carried around with him from its place on his back.

"You can't seriously expect that to work," Starbuck said, her and her team standing guard of the doors on the surface.

"Why not? If Oliver can shoot down a Heavy Raider with a bow, then I can do the same with…" Tommy began before Oliver made a noise in his throat that sounded like he was ready to kill something and it had better be the Cylons before one of them got hurt. "You got it, boss," Tommy amended as he spun the auto-cannon to life. With a roar of sustained, heavy weapons fire, a stream of projectiles moving beyond mach nine slammed into the Heavy Raider. The stream of projectiles quickly cut through the target's armor and brought the Heavy Raider careening down to crash a few kilometers off course.

With a simple grunt of approval, Oliver turned back to the tomb and left, Tommy and Kimi staying on the surface to reinforce the defense teams in case the Cylons survived the crash.

"I see why he's in charge," one of the Marines that guarded the tomb said.

"You have no idea," Tommy replied as he shook his head.

The sound of the rings activating again had Kimi turning around to see the rest of their team come running out of the tomb with a cursing Gabi at their lead. "Move! Move! Move! Come on! Let's go!" she shouted to the assembled men and women. They piled into the Heavy Raider that the Tau'ri had brought and the two Raptors _Pegasus_ had sent as reinforcements. No one was about to argue with her. She'd only been with the fleet for a few months and her reputation for making things explode had spread like a wildfire.

They didn't even wait to be picked up. Gabi sent a message to the Colonials in orbit and both _Galactica_ and their Baseship disappeared in a flash of light while the Raptors and Heavy Raider also jumped without bothering to leave the atmosphere. There wasn't any time for that!

To the Cylons left behind, it was as if the Humans had finally given up, but then the reason became clear. The explosion that followed their departure was massive. A section of the ground was blown into orbit by the force of the explosion, the heatwave vaporized anything organic in a several mile radius, and the shockwave leveled anything else beyond that. Then it kept going. The shockwave washed over their ships and the force of it crumpled their armor and destroyed the ship. Still it continued to spread. Soon it overtook the system's star and the pressure of it caused the star to join in the explosion.

**Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)**

*Heavy Raider (Cargo Area)*

"What the hell was that about?" Tommy asked.

"Gabi," Jesse replied with a shrug. "Enough said."

"It wasn't one," Gabi replied as she gently placed the bag she had ran out of the tomb with on the ground and its contents spilled out. "It was twelve. One for each of the statues. That's why we could detect them past the jamming field. Twelve ZPMs isn't something you hide easily."

"Twel… twelve… TWELVE!?" Tommy shouted, more than a little shocked.

"We only got eleven of them," Gabi replied in a frustrated tone. "The other one had been powering the tomb's systems all those years and was both severely depleted and needed as a means of keeping the Cylons from getting the computers that were down there."

"When we get back to Earth, they're going to throw us one hell of a party!" Cassidy said as she picked up one of the crystal-like power cells. "God, they're beautiful!"

"Oliver," Kimi said from the cockpit where she was piloting the Heavy Raider. "One of the Raptors they sent to reinforce us is missing."

"They jumped out before we did!" Gabi countered.

"They were the first to jump, actually," Kimi replied. "Admiral Adama thinks they used the coordinates for the fleet's next jump instead of the rendezvous point. He's dispatching another Raptor to go and check."

"Alright, dock us with the Baseship," Oliver ordered.

**New Caprica (Orbit)**

*_Colonial One_ (President's Office) [two days later]*

"You want us to stay here?" Roslin asked, more than a little shocked. "I thought you said that you could get us to Earth now that you had your computer?"

"We can, but that's not the problem," Maria, the negotiator sent over from the _Odyssey_ all that time ago, replied. It was hard to think that their relationship had begun with the two parties so blatantly distrusting the other. "At this point, we know that the _Odyssey_ is still intact and heavily damaged. We need to get to Earth and get them help. _Pegasus_ has the most advanced FTL drive in your fleet and it would take them months to reach Earth at maximum speed. _Galactica_ would take even longer, and the civilians… their drives can't keep up with the warships and your Battlestars can't keep up with the Baseship. If we leave today, we can get to Earth inside of a week and get the _Odyssey_ the help she needs. After that, we'll know exactly where to find you whereas the Cylons can't. Stay here and wait, and we'll come back for you, I promise, but, right now, we need to help our people."

"The Cylons are an advanced species," Marcus added. "The Goa'uld, while outclassing them technologically, are more subjectable to electronic warfare than the Colonials are. If the Cylons leave this part of the galaxy and reach one of the Goa'uld worlds, they could easily advance to the point that they could be a threat to the every Human inhabited world in the galaxy. We're not about to let that happen. We **will** come back."

Laura sighed and relented. "Very well. We'll make a home for ourselves here."

"Thank you for your understanding," Marcus said with a polite nod.

President Roslin shook her head at his words. "No, Professor, thank you and your people. Without the _Odyssey_, we wouldn't have made it this far."

"Judging by what I've seen of your people, Madam President, I'm forced to disagree. I have a feeling you would've made it to Earth on your own eventually. The Cylons don't have the drive that the Colonial people do. That's why they can't beat you."

"Good luck, Professor, Ambassador," Laura said as she shook both of their hands. "Give the Colonels my bests."


	22. Shadowy Figures

Chapter 21

Shadowy Figures

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Surface)**

*Alpha Site (Control Room)*

The rupture in the fabric of space that foretold of a hyperspace window opening had the newly relocated Control Room on high alert. General Ervin stepped out of his new office, which had been moved with the Control Room, and took in the situation. There were six ships in orbit, only two of which should've been there, and one of them was the unmistakable form of a Ha'tak.

"It looks like Ba'al finally tracked down his flagship," Ervin mumbled to himself. "Comms, order the _Devastator_ to open fire!"

"That's a negative, sir," the comms officer replied. "Colson's reporting a malfunction in the weapons systems. They can't target the enemy ships."

"What?!" Ervin asked, more than a little shocked. "Of all the times for the thing to stop working!"

"_General,"_ CCMSgt Taylor interrupted his rant from his place aboard the _Ares_. _"It's their IFF. The _Ares_' systems won't target them either because they're reading as friendly."_

"Sir, we're being hailed," the comms officer reported.

The image of a three eyed alien appeared on the screens in the Control Room and an alien voice spoke to them. "Running translation software," the comms officer reported. A second later the alien's language became legible words.

"_Greetings, people of the Tau'ri. I am Gluk, emissary of the Mimner."_

"You jammed our weapons systems?!" Ervin accused the alien.

"_You are surprised?"_ the alien more said than asked. _"We delivered to you a warship capable of great destruction. To not modify it to prevent it from being used against us would have been Goa'uld-ish."_

"Goa'uld-ish?" one of the technicians next to the comms officer whispered.

"In their language, 'Goa'uld' probably means 'fool.' It's rather clever actually," the comms officer replied with a quiet laugh.

"And how do you explain the _Ares_?" Ervin demanded.

"_I believe your people would call it a 'computer virus',"_ the alien replied calmly.

"So you crippled our defenses and now you're back? What do you want?" the General asked darkly.

"_The Mimner is feeling especially graceful,"_ the alien replied. _"He extends to you another act of kindness. This alliance means much to him. You are the one race in this galaxy that opposes the Goa'uld with any measurable amount of competence. He wishes to see this hold true for many battles to come, but he knows that your world is not very well defended."_

"You'd be surprised," Ervin practically growled at the alien. "We have weapons capable of eliminating entire fleets of Ha'tak. Just ask Anubis."

"_We are well aware of your victory over the forces of Anubis over your world. However, you still suffered losses in the battle that ensured. We are offering you the chance to prevent this."_

"How?"

"Sir, we're receiving a data package," the comms officer reported as his terminal beeped. "My God!" the man exclaimed as the designs appeared on their main screen.

"Is this real?" another officer asked.

"Where did you get this?" a third added.

"Why are you doing this?" Ervin asked, his question the only one that would be answered.

"_Consider this a gift from the Mimner. May his kindness not be forgotten in a time of need,"_ Gluk replied before the channel was cut and four of the ships in orbit jumped into hyperspace.

"Sir, they're gone," the sensors operator reported.

"_What the hell just happened?"_ Colson asked.

"We just received the technical schematics for a planetary defense shield," General Ervin replied in a stunned tone.

*****Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)*****

****P7X-938 (Lunar Orbit)****

*****_**Relentless Destruction**_** (Combat Information Center) [thirteen hours earlier]***

Space tore open as the _Relentless Destruction_ dropped out of hyperspace and cloaked to avoid detection. Beside her, two more hyperspace windows deposited her sister ships and the three made their way closer to the planet. "We're entering sensors range," Senior Airman Gigi Hanover reported.

"If you want to call it that," Lieutenant Derek 'Six' Sixo countered with a sigh. "They're jamming almost everything we've got. Subspace sensors are static, thermographic's not reading anything discernable, radio detectors aren't picking up any signals, and radar is a blank screen. If you want a picture of what's in orbit, we're going to have to use the visual scanners and LADAR grid."

"If we pumped more power into the sensors could we get past their jamming field?" one of the _Destruction_'s crewmen asked.

Six looked over his terminal and contemplated the man's suggestion before replying. "We don't have the generator output to get anything useful, but the _Savage Annihilation_ should."

"If we bring them into orbit too soon and they have anything…" Gigi began before trailing off. They had entered range of their less advanced scanners, and what they saw was truly a sight to behold. "That about sums it up," Gigi said with a sigh.

"Hold on," Six said, a note of confusion. "Those aren't regular Ha'tak, and that's not one fleet."

"Then the Lucian Alliance has moved to capture the technology as well," Ry said from his place behind the pilots.

"No, not the Lucian Alliance," Gigi replied as they ran more in-depth scans with what systems could pierce the jamming field. "Well, not **only** the Lucian Alliance."

"Those are Ba'al's ships," Six agreed. "Looks like his own refits after the stuff that Anubis did, so it stands to reason that their shields are going to be hard to take down."

The Goa'uld, being scavengers, hardly ever had an idea of their own. That having been said, the Ha'tak was a rather unique case in which the Goa'uld had designed and built their own ships from the ground up. The first designs for a Ha'tak came from the Goa'uld Ptah who was, perhaps, the greatest inventor that the Goa'uld would ever know. Everything after Ptah's original designs were modifications to the superstructure or the internal layout. The most effective changes had been implemented by a few of the other Goa'uld over the centuries with the last decade seeing rather radical leaps forward in Goa'uld technology.

Sokar had developed and built an entire fleet with cloaking devices on his Ha'tak, the first Goa'uld to ever do so, but the fleet had been commandeered by Apophis. After that came the advancements made by Apophis himself in the form of better hyperdrives, but those advancements were all lost when the Goa'uld made a move against the Tok'ra and SG-1 blew up a star to destroy the entire fleet. Next came Anubis who used his half-ascended mind to either develop or steal new technologies including better shields, faster hyperdrives, and Asgard beaming technology. After Anubis' defeat at the hands of the Tau'ri, Ba'al had taken over all of Anubis' territory and started implementing more changes. A larger reactor on the ships under his command had the already improved shields of the Anubis Refits made all the stronger. Then, as is their custom, the Goa'uld stagnated.

Or so they thought.

"Wait a second," Six said as two of the 'Lucian Alliance' Ha'tak fell to their enemies' weapons. "Those aren't Lucian Alliance ships, those are Ba'al Refits."

"We already knew that," Gigi replied with a look on her face that questioned her counterpart's sanity.

"No," Six shook his head. "Not those ones," he said while pointing to the winning fleet, "those ones," he finished while pointing at the fleet that was getting its ass kicked.

"Then whose Ha'tak are those?" Gigi asked as the smaller fleet of heavily modified ships forced Ba'al's fleet out of orbit, the defeated fleet promptly retreating into hyperspace.

"Are our communications still functional?" Ry asked.

"Yes, sir," the comms officer replied.

"Hail our fleet on an encrypted channel," Ry ordered.

"You're on," the comms officer reported.

"_You're seeing the same thing we are, right?"_ Jeramie immediately asked once the line was open.

"_Who the hell are these people?"_ Andy added. _"Anyone advanced enough to keep Ba'al at bay needs to be on our side, not getting hit by a merry band of thieves."_

"Anyone who poses a threat to Ba'al with so little a force will require us to coordinate our attacks in a precise manner. We will need our sensors to do so. What information can you provide?" Ry asked his XO who was commanding the last ship in their small fleet.

"_We've put everything we can into the sensors without sacrificing the cloak or life-support,"_ Lieutenant-Colonel Dominic 'Dom' Santiago replied. _"So far we've got inconclusive scans of the ships, but I can say they're the main source of the jamming field. Aside from that, the planet is inhabited by Jaffa."_

"_Jaffa?"_ Andy asked.

"_Things just got weird,"_ Jeramie commented.

"_It actually explains a lot,"_ Andy said with a nod. _"I was wondering how someone could survive long enough to attain technology on this level without being attacked. Now we know."_

"What we know is not nearly enough," Ry countered as he walked towards the rear of his ship.

The CIC of the _Relentless_-class was set up in an ovoid fashion with the pilot sitting at the front of the ship. The cockpit was connected to the CIC by a hallway lined with manned stations where the crewmen who monitored the systems sat. In the CIC, a massive holo-tank dominated the area where the CO could observe the battle from within the safety of the ship with the outlook of a third-party observer. The holographic image was generated based off of sensors data, so, for the time being, it wasn't very clear. During a normal battle, however, it displayed the entire area that the sensors could scan so you could watch the battle from every angle.

There was also a chair, much like the throne on a Ha'tak, for the CO to sit in. Ry took his seat and pulled his helmet over his head. The metal helmet with hermetic seals was rated for both space and atmospheric reentry. It also served as a good mask. In its current configuration, the helmet had three softly glowing circles. Two of them sat over the user's eyes, while the third gave the appearance of the wearer having a third eye. The gloves that accompanied the armor also had magnets in the fingers that would force your pointer and middle fingers to move in tandem as well as doing the same to your ring and pinky fingers thus making you appear to only have three fingers. Over all, it made the person inside the armor look anything **but** Human.

Thusly suited up, Ry ordered, "Hail the target planet."

When the connection was made, a smug looking Jaffa appeared on the holographic screen that came into existence before the Colonel. _"Sending a message to say you give up was not necessary. Your retreat…"_ the Jaffa began before trailing off as he realized he wasn't talking to Ba'al's underlings. _"And what are you supposed to be?"_

The Jaffa spoke the only language he was likely to know, so the translators in the Colonel's armor helpfully turned the Goa'uld into English. Then his armor took his own voice, scrambled the vocal patterns, and spoke his words in a language that had been created from gibberish. Another system in the ship took the gibberish the Jaffa was sure to hear, then translated it back into Goa'uld. As far as the Jaffa was concerned, he was speaking to an alien that used a computer to translate his words. Thusly, the illusion of the ship being crewed by unknown aliens was made all the more convincing.

"I am an emissary of the Mimner and you will address me as such," Ry replied calmly. "By order of the Mimner, this world has been claimed. You will lay down your arms or you will be destroyed."

The Jaffa's face twisted into a mask of confusion before he chuckled and countered. _"I am Niptahkau, First Prime to Ptah, God of Crafting and ruler of Memphis. You have no claim to this world."_

"Personally I may not, but the Mimner will not be denied that which he desires."

"_Do your worst, scum. We have weathered worse than the likes of you!"_ the Jaffa replied angrily before terminating the transmission.

"Did he…" Gigi began before trailing off.

"He did," Six replied, likewise shocked.

"So this is where the slimy bastard ran off to," John mused.

The former Tok'ra host rubbed his chin as he thought over the implications of their discovery. While he held no technical rank in the armies of the Tau'ri, amongst the Tok'ra his symbiote was the Master at Arms and he himself had served as the Chief Trainer. As a sort of honorary title, the man was often called 'Master Chief' by his newfound comrades. He also served as the team's heavy weapons specialist, galactic historian, and field medic thanks to his time spent melded with his former partner and ability to use a Tok'ra healing device. Had the symbiote not sacrificed itself to save his own life after their capture by Ba'al, he would've gladly stayed a Tok'ra, but undergoing another meld with a different symbiote would be a betrayal of what he had, so he left and was welcomed by the people who had saved him from his capture.

"_What are we looking at here?"_ Jeramie asked.

"The answer to a very old question," John replied. "Niptahkau, as he so helpfully informed us, is the First Prime to the Goa'uld Ptah. Ptah is the one who invented the first iteration of Ha'tak. Following that line of logic, he would not only have the most powerful Ha'tak in the galaxy, he would also know every weakness there is in the designs of the Ha'tak the other System Lords use. The Tok'ra started an attempt to hunt him down nearly three-thousand years ago, but we couldn't ever get to him. Even when we managed to find him, Ra had him well defended. He didn't leave the ranks of the System Lords until after Ra was defeated by the Tau'ri during your first trip to Abydos. After that, he just roamed around the galaxy blending in with the local populace while soaking up as much knowledge as he could.

"While he's been absent from the galactic scene for quite some time, he's far from out of the loop. Not only does he know how to beat Ba'al, he also knows about Sokar's death. Sokar was the only ally he had left in the galaxy after Apep and Ra were defeated. He rightly blames you for Ra's defeat, but also blames you for Sokar. Because of this, he has a more profound hatred for the Tau'ri then the other Goa'uld do. He will not treat you kindly if he discovers your origins."

"And what of his forces?" Ry asked.

"Ptah created his own branch of Jaffa known as the Ta-tanen, who were not known for either their speed or intelligence but their ability to weather even the most deadly of battles like a stone in rain. Though these Jaffa were small in number, they were often the only warriors left standing during wars between the System Lords. They will not be easy to bring down."

"_So they're not tactically inclined, but they are tough?"_ Jeramie more said than asked.

"I wouldn't put it that way. They're the only ones left standing for a number of reasons. Ptah is the God of Crafting and he favors his soldiers with advanced weapons and armor. Not only will they be more likely to stick to cover than even Ba'al's forces are, but they'll also have weapons modeled after your own. I wouldn't put it past Ptah to have studied the Tau'ri and emulated them in some way. We need to be prepared for anything."

"First we will need to secure orbit," Ry said. "How many ships oppose us?"

"Fifteen Ha'tak with unknown capabilities," Six replied.

"The most we can easily engage at any given time is twelve," Gigi added. "The SRs can take on two at a time and the _Savage Annihilation_ can handle another six… if they're not too advanced."

"We need to be cautious here," John stressed. "Ptah invented more than just the Ha'tak. Most modern Goa'uld technology is still based off of what Ptah developed all those years ago."

"_We're ready when you are,"_ Dom assured them from the Pel'tak of the Ha'tak.

"Begin," Ry ordered.

The _Destruction_ dropped its cloak and channeled the energy back into her shields as her anti-proton thrusters flared to life and sent the small ship hurtling towards the enemy, her sisters flanking her on either side. With a burst of energy, the three ships jumped into hyperspace as the _Savage Annihilation_ decloaked behind them. Another tear in the fabric of reality deposited the _Destruction_ inside of the shield envelope of the target Ha'tak with the golden pyramid structure 'below' them. With a thunderous vibration, the plasma emitters mounted on her wings let loose with a hail of explosive power, scraps of the enemy ship flying into space as the vessel was torn apart.

The _Relentless Destruction_, unlike the _Relentless Flame_, had already undergone an upgrade from the old configuration. Where the _Flame_ had eight plasma bomb emitters, the _Destruction_ had only four, but, to add more firepower, the other four had been replaced with a Furling technology they were only just now getting operational; the particle cannon.

While the four plasma bomb emitters fired off their barrage, the particle cannons hummed to life. The bombs targeted the shield emitters on the external hull and the barrier collapsed in the targeted area. With the emitters no longer present, the barrier in that area was practically gone which allowed the _Destruction_ to pull 'up' and break off its assault without fear of crashing into the shield. As the emitters on the half of the target ship that hadn't been hit were fed more power, the shield was restored around the ship as a whole, but, as a result, the entire barrier was weaker.

With a flash of blue-green light, the particle cannons fired their payload. Directed beams of hyperaccelerated particles bypassed the weakened shield barrier with ease and impacted the hull. The razor thin beams of energy each targeted a different area of the ship, the beams slicing through the hull like a hot knife through butter. The Pel'tak, Engine Room, life-support systems, and the main reactor were all pierced by the particle beams and the ship became dead in space as the crew slowly died from lack of air and the _Destruction_ jumped back into hyperspace to strike again.

This time when the _Destruction_ exited hyperspace they had appeared over the black structure with the pyramid 'in front' of them. With its particle weapons and plasma bombs still cooling down, the _Destruction_ opened fire with its other weapon. The dual-barreled, spinal-mounted kinetic energy weapons that exited from her nose opened up with a rapid-fire barrage of hyperaccelerated metal slugs. The specially designed rounds pierced the armor after a few shots to weaken the target then, as the slugs started making it into the hull, the ammo type was switched out. In place of the armor piercing slugs, a 'shredder round' was loaded. This ammo type broke apart on impact with the softer interior of the target ship and sent shrapnel flying into the guts of the enemy vessel. Even if the round did penetrate less, shredding the enemy's power lines and killing the crew was still an effective means of disabling a ship. Then a torpedo flew into the gap that the onslaught at left and the _Destruction_ retreated into hyperspace as the high explosive bomb detonated.

This time the small ship dropped out of hyperspace behind the only friendly Ha'tak in the system and started the process of cooling down its hyperdrive. Using a system designed to get a ship a great distance in a short time as a means of bypassing an enemy's defenses caused a great deal of strain on the system. That strain had to be alleviated before using the drive again or an overload in the core was a very real possibility.

Two Ha'tak now lay dead in orbit of the target world with another four outright destroyed by the rapid attack style the SRs utilized. That left the remaining nine attacking the _Savage Annihilation_.

Even when outnumbered, the ship wasn't outgunned. The Zeta Initiative only consisted of two-hundred people on its roster. Forty of them were the military ground teams. Another fifty were the specialists that served as the crew on their SRs. With another fifty welders, engineers, and maintenance personnel to keep the ships and facility operating, there was only sixty people left. Of the remaining sixty members of the Zeta Initiative, twenty of them were the technicians that studied and developed the technology available to them after cracking the Black Bunker, and the remaining forty were working the mines that fed the builders the materials they needed to keep everything going.

Because of this, the crew of the _Savage Annihilation_ was only ten people. With all of the extra room in the ship that left available, the thing had been hollowed out and rebuilt from the inside out. The entire superstructure had been filled to the brim with power generators. Enough naquadah went into powering this one ship to construct a small fleet of standard Ha'tak. The only part of the ship not dedicated to power production was the Pel'tak, engines, and weapons. The Pel'tak had been modified to double as the command center for the ship as well as the Engine Room, the engines had been heavily modified, and the weapons system had been both upgraded and expanded.

The nine enemy Ha'tak surrounded the _Savage Annihilation_ and opened fire, her powerful shield holding off the fleet's weapons while her own returned fire. The upgraded Ha'tak had nearly sixty plasma cannons mounted on her hull designed to fire faster at the coast of overheating during battle. To supplement its arment, it also had thirty particle beam cannons and a number of Furling designed railgun emplacements… and all of that power was being focused into a very lethal cone.

Surrounded on all sides as she was, the _Savage Annihilation_ devoted half of her firepower onto one unfortunate ship off of her starboard flank and the other half onto a ship off of her port flank. Dozens of plasma bolts slammed into the heavily modified enemy Ha'tak and still the barriers held, but the stress was causing that barrier to fluctuate. As tiny holes opened in the barrier too big for a plasma bolt to fit through, particle beams lanced out and stabbed deep into the guts of the ships. The first Ha'tak fell to a breached reactor.

A few seconds later the second Ha'tak fell to overwhelming firepower and the weapons sifted to a new target. From behind the enemy that surrounded the twisted creation that Gabi had woke up one night rambling on about, the SRs reminded the enemy that they were not facing only one target. Plasma bombs and particle beams from the _Destruction_ joined the self-same weapons fired by the _Relentless Fury_ and the _Flame_ added her own plasma bombs into the mix. As shields were collapsed under the onslaught, kinetic energy weapons, nuclear missiles, and something the Furlings called 'Dark Matter Bombs' slammed into the hulls' of the targeted ships.

One by one they fell, but they weren't fast enough. The shields on the _Savage Annihilation_ flashed, flared, then failed before rounds started impacting her heavily armored hull. Known weak points of the other System Lords' Ha'tak were targeted and fired on en mass, but the _Savage Annihilation_ had been too heavily modified for such a tactic to work. All they succeeded in doing was knocking out a few of her extra generators before they finally fell to the guns of the Zeta Fleet.

"Damage report," Ry calmly ordered from his place overlooking the battle from the holo-tank in the back.

The holographic image of space around them was promptly replaced by a schematic of their ship with the damaged sections highlighted in flashing red. "The forward shield emitters were stressed beyond the safe levels and are in need of repairs," the ship's lead technician began. "We took a few hits to the armor once the barrier was weakened, but no breaches. We did, however, lose particle cannon three, plasma bomb four, and three of our GARDIAN lasers during the impacts."

The report being done, the _Destruction_ was replaced as an identical image of the _Fury_ appeared in its stead. Different areas of the ship were highlighted and the report was less grave. Then another image appeared of the _Flame_ and the report was minimal damage with no notable hull loss. The last image to appear in the holo-tank was the _Savage Annihilation_ and several of its generators were red while numerous sections of the hull were reported to be missing all together.

"Is the ship still capable of hyperspace travel?" Ry asked. By now, the entire fleet had cloaked to avoid further detection incase the enemy called for reinforcements or had surface-to-orbit cannons.

"If we rewire the system so that it's taking in power from a different generator, then yes. Right now, however, the generator providing power to the hyperdrive is offline. It's a simple fix. Maybe half an hour of work," Six replied after reading over the damage.

"Begin making what repairs you can," Ry ordered as he reopened the channel to the other ships.

When the line was activated, he caught the tail end of a conversation between Colonel Jeramie Jeffers, the Zeta Initiative's strategist, and Major LillyAnna 'Lilly' Holzman.

"_The nearest location without interference that I can safely beam you to is on the other side of the planet," _Lilly said in response to a question Ry had missed.

"_What about an orbital drop into the atmosphere?"_ Jeramie asked.

"_Not an option,"_ Lilly replied while shaking her head. _"If I drop you from here, you'll hit the planetary defense shield and you'll be vaporized. I can, however, beam you directly behind the shield and let you drop from there. So, anyone up for a partial orbital drop?"_

"_Alright, do the calculations to beam us behind the planetary shield. I want us as close to the main city as you can get us,"_ Jeramie ordered. He then looked up, noticed that he was on call, and added, _"Sound good to you?"_

"Indeed," Ry replied stoically.

**Memphis (Atmosphere)**

*City of Memphis (Outskirts) [ten minutes later]*

The three ground teams were beamed under the shield that covered the planet and got a good look at the truly massive number of satellites that served as the orbiting emitters. Then they were falling. The advanced sensors grid on their individual armors served to keep them aware of their trajectory and any incoming threats, the HUD projected on their visors helped them interpret the data being collected, and a series of subsystems built into the armor allowed them controlled flight.

Being of Furling design like the bulk of their more advanced equipment, each set of armor had a device that harnessed dark matter and used it to reduce the mass of their bodies in a localized space-time field, the micro thrusters developed by the Furlings allowed their reduced mass to be easily controlled in flight, and a liquid naquadah core powered the systems that were monitored by a Virtual Intelligence, or VI, that was essentially a smart computer, or a stupid AI depending on how you looked at it. Thusly equipped, falling from the very edge of the stratosphere all the way down to the surface while wearing armor that was made from the same hull material as a 302 wasn't much of a problem.

Unless you were being shot at by plasma flak cannons.

The first unstable plasma round exploded a few feet below them. The shockwave rattled anyone near it to the bone and was a clear sign that they needed to take evasive maneuvers. Their HUDs, upon detecting the incoming fire, began displaying projected impact sites. The jamming field present on this world prevented their suit's sensors from getting an accurate long-ranged reading, so the best they got was a second's warning before an explosion went off in their faces, but that was better than no warning at all.

Gigi, seeing the round coming right at her, fired the micro thrusters in her armor and swerved off course. The explosion still sent her tumbling through the air as the force washed over her. Her armor took the brunt of the blow, but she could tell she was going to have a pressure-induced bruise along the right side of her body. Before that could be a concern, however, she needed to regain a stable flight. She was out of control and falling fast. If she didn't get her course corrected in time, she'd hit the ground full force.

Trying to think through the panic she was in proved to be nearly impossible. She could see the ground below her, open sky, the stars above her, and then it all repeated. She was too dizzy to count the number of turns she'd gone through, but she felt it when a body slammed into hers. The added weight and the force of the impact slowed her down enough to stop the dizziness from getting worse. Then the figure holding onto her used their own wits to stabilize their joint flight. Finally Gigi could make sense of the world around her and she looked at the armored figure that was crushing her with a hug to keep himself attached to her. The IFF their armors put off was the only way she knew who her savior was.

"Thanks, Six," she said through heavy breathing.

Below them, another round barreled up through the atmosphere to meet them. Gigi was just about to start panicking again when Ry glided through the air below them and punched downwards. The outline of his body glowed with a silver light before an orb of silver slammed into the plasma round. A cloud of black smoke was born in their flight path, but a cloud of smoke wouldn't kill them like the plasma would've.

Once they were through the smoke and their vision was restored, Six let go of Gigi and drifted away from her to give them both room to maneuver. Their plummet finally ended as the teams, forced to abandon their direct course for the capital for fear of death, landed in a swamp a few miles off course.

The antigravity field that the Ancients used as a parachute came online. Coupled with the mass reduction field provided by the Furling tech in their armor, the Humans all flipped over so they were falling feet-first as opposed to nose-down. Then, using the actual thrusters mounted on their backs, their fall was slowed until they landed with a manageable thump. For some it was as easy to handle as taking a few jogging steps forwards to dispel the extra energy. Others rolled for the same purpose while others still just let the impact take them to the ground, one knee and one hand catching their fall, before standing up again.

"Status report," Ry ordered as he reached back and drew his assault rifle from its place magnetically held to his armor. Yet another design taken from the Furling Repository along with the ability of a large, bulky weapon to collapse down into a more easily managed rectangle with smooth edges and clean dimensions.

"Brian broke his leg," Doctor Colt, one of two of the fully fledged doctors assigned to the Zeta Initiative, reported. This particular Doctor accompanied Zeta-5 into the field. As per standard operating procedure, each team had a tech expert, a cultural expert, and a medic. Failing any of these, a team would be grounded until they had these essential members added to the standard military crew. It was one of the first executive decisions Oliver had made once the Zeta Initiative was fully under his control.

"Is it fixable?" Ry asked. His voice was devoid of all emotion, true, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel anything. He was simply incapable of **showing** that he cared.

"John!" Colt called over to the former Tok'ra.

The man in question jogged over and ran the healing device that had been built into his armor's glove to expediate things over the injury. A soft glow emanated from the small crystal in his palm and Brian's face twisted into a mask of pain behind his helmet as his bone shifted beneath his skin. Ry watched the process until a beep in his ear drew his attention. His eyes instinctively looked to the part of his HUD that warned him of incoming hostiles and his reflexes did the rest.

Even before his conscious mind had fully reacted to the threat, his body was glowing and a protective field sprang into existence behind him. No sooner had the shimmer come into existence than a blast from a staff cannon was shoved off course by the barrier.

The single shot was all the assembled soldiers needed to spring into action. Weapons were leveled in the direction of the hostiles and weapons fire ripped a small tree apart, the trunk incapable of withstanding the hyperaccelerated rounds that tore through it.

In the same instant, Doctor Miguel dove over Brian to cover his body with his own, John stopped the healing process to draw his own weapon, and Doctor Colt had his rifle leveled against the enemy… that wasn't there.

Two more blasts impacted Ry's shimmering silver barrier while more weapons fire targeted those not protected by the power imparted unto him by the Furling machine. Those who could dove for cover. Those who couldn't ran for cover. The doctors grabbed their patient and retreated under the cover of the suppressive fire the others were laying out and the barrier Ry was protecting them with. Once they were behind their own piece of cover, the barrier snapped out of existence and Ry stumbled under the strain of holding back the powerful shots.

"They are not in the trees," the Colonel informed them.

"You're telling me the Goa'uld have snipers now?" Sergeant Michael Camp asked with a frustrated grumble as he switched out his assault rifle for his own sniper rifle. Around him, the other snipers in their group did the same. LillyAnna, Zeta-5's Infiltrator, linguist, and historian drew her oversized rifle, Colonel Andy, Infiltration specialist for Zeta-3, Lieutenant Augustus 'Cole Train' Cole, one of two snipers on Zeta-2, and Six, the Infiltrator for Zeta-2, all drew their long range weapons as well.

"Like I said, Ptah has it out for the Tau'ri. It's likely he's learned everything he could about you in an effort to defeat you," John replied as he finished his work no Brian's leg.

Still grumbling obscenities under his breath, the fiery Sergeant with a head full of flaming-red hair lined up his shot and let his rifle announced his opinion of this new enemy. For six years the man had been a sniper in the US Army. When they tried to promote him to an E6, he quit and could be quoted as saying, "I'll never give up my gun!" Not even three months into his 'retirement,' General Landry had offered him a new deal. Keep your rank, take the pay raise, get a newer, more powerful gun, and work for the Air Force's new division. If he had known he was going to be fighting aliens, he probably would've thought it over more before accepting the offer. As it was, he took it blindly and ended up regretting it. Then he got over the shock of it all and now… well, now the men and women assembled from multiple countries around the world were glad they had never been on the business end of this man's rifle.

Then again, the same could be said for any member of the Zeta Initiative. After working together for so long and fighting the battles they had, it was hard to think of the people around them as anything short of a friend. To be enemies was just too strange a notion.

Now it is relevant for one to know the difference between someone designated as a 'Sniper' versus an 'Infiltrator.' A Sniper carries a high powered sniper rifle into battle and has armor that's coated with adaptive paints that will blend into the environment to better hide them just as the others do, but their armor has a more advanced version of the same technology as their need to hide is greater. To 'one-up' this, Infiltrators are equipped with a Sodan Cloaking Device. To protect them from the radiation associated with this technology, their armor is impregnated with lead making it heavier than a Sniper's and slightly limiting their mobility. Infiltrators, unlike Snipers, specialize in what are known as the 'Extreme Ranges of Combat.' They specialize in both long range sniping and close quarters combat whereas a Sniper typically specializes in long range take downs and midrange combat.

The most notable difference, however, is in the weapons. A Sniper carriers a high powered sniper rifle into battle with an assault rifle as their secondary weapon and a single sidearm for when the enemy gets to close. An Infiltrator typically has several knives on them, either dual sidearms or a shotgun for their secondary weapon, and a smaller version of a sniper rifle. With the same advanced scope that doubles as a special HUD for sniper duty, the scaled-down version of a sniper rifle the Infiltrators use has a shorter barrel which gives it less range and less impact power, but allows it to be used inside of tight spaces more easily.

After the first shot took out the first enemy, the opposing team of snipers started taking potshots at the Zeta teams as they tried to take out the hostiles. Instantly fed up with the lethal game of whack-a-mole, Andy said, "Fuck this shit! Six, Gigi, tag these bastard for us."

"Will-co," Six replied as he activated his Sodan Cloaking Device and moved to scout out the snipers' positions, Lilly fanning out in another direction under her own cloak.

There was a beeping sound in Andy's ear as the data came in from the two cloaked figures ahead of them. Bringing his rifle's scope up to his eye, Andy stared down the advanced scope that displayed wind speed and barometric pressure. Several hundred meters down range, thirteen targets were indicated by red triangles, their location having been marked by the GPS system in Six's and Lilly's suits. Andy lined up his first shot, took a deep breath, squeezed the trigger then immediately repeated the process as the other three snipers joined in.

As the last two triangles disappeared from both Andy's scope, and everyone else's HUD, Six said, _"Hostile neutralized, you're clear to come out,"_ to confirm that they really were dead.

**Memphis (Surface)**

*City of Memphis (Throne Room)*

"Intriguing, are they not?" Ptah asked his First Prime as the two watched the battle's progress from the safety of Ptah's private Throne Room. He couldn't even remember how long ago it was that he stopped speaking in the deep, echoing tones of the Goa'uld when in the presence of his First Prime. It was such an unnecessary and draining task.

"That is not the word I would use, My Lord," Niptahkau replied darkly.

"Tell me, who do you think these people are?" Ptah asked curiously.

"They claim to be emissaries to the Mimner, though I have not heard this name before."

"I have," Ptah said smoothly. "I had thought this Mimner would make a fine ally. Now, I know better."

"Where have you heard of them before, My Lord?" Niptahkau asked, obviously confused.

"The Mimner recently stole Ba'al's newest flagship. I had planned on doing so myself, but clearly this organization had better Intel than I did. Their attack was perfectly timed to hit when the ship's shields would be down. I can only speculate on how satisfying it would've been to see the look on Ba'al's smug face when the ship was stolen from right under his nose! To have been denied one of my desires is a travesty."

"You will see whatever look on Ba'al's face you want once he is kneeling at your mercy, My Lord," Niptahkau replied in a determined tone.

"I believe that, if it was up to you, I would've had that opportunity already. As it is, we just lost our fleet," Ptah replied calmly before shutting off the projection and walking back to his throne. "We will have to start over from scratch, and the bulk of our raw materials were consumed by the destruction of what we had."

"Then I will punish these people in your great name," Niptahkau declared.

"My name is not so great as to warrant your self-imposed death," Ptah replied dismissively. "No, we will wait here and they will come to us. Then you may punish them however you please."

"What makes you sure they will come here?" Niptahkau asked.

"They are here for one of two things. Either they want my head as Ba'al does, or they want this," Ptah said while holding up the crystal he had taken out of the computer that belonged to the Ancients. The computer now rest in the same room they had found it in, buried deep within a bunker under the volcano from which the power for the shield was derived, but now it was useless. Only with the crystal would it work.

*City of Memphis (Outside the Great Wall)*

"You weren't kidding!" Six shouted to the man standing practically right beside him. The hail of weapons fire flying over their heads was enough to drown out most other sounds. Still, they wore helmets with built in communicators for a reason.

"Stop yelling in my ear," John replied calmly.

"Right, sorry," the often times annoying Russian said at a more acceptable volume. "You got any ideas here?"

"Nobody I know of that's still alive has fought the Ta-tanen and lived to pass on their knowledge of the encounter. Also, I'm quite certain that the weapons they use are unique to the factories on this world," John answered.

"So Ptah copied our assault rifles, only he made them shoot plasma, and this is all an attempt to destroy Earth for defeating Sokar? We didn't even kill him, Apophis did!" Andy said from his place at the rear of their formation. He and the rest of the dedicated snipers were using the suppressive fire provided by the others to take what shots they could when the fire lessened enough to allow them to act.

"At this point, I don't believe that Ptah cares either way. Defeating the Tau'ri will earn him the respect of the System Lords, and outright fear of the minor lords that serve them. If Ptah conquers Earth, the remaining System Lords will back him in his war against Ba'al. With his advanced Ha'tak, that war will be both short and entirely in his favor."

"So destroying Earth has become a political stepping stone for galactic politics?" Senior Airman Jonathan Carrick asked, more than a little appalled by the thought. The man serves as Zeta-2's linguist and one hell of a fine soldier. He had been pulled from the Airborne Cryptographic Linguist and added to the Zeta Initiative's roaster after the request for more combat-trained linguist went through. With there being two people named 'Johnathan' in the Zeta Initiative, Carrick had started going by his old high school nickname to make things easier. As such, everyone called him 'Jace.'

"Destroying a planet is too easy," John replied casually as he laid into one of the Ta-tanen until his weapon overheated. "If you want to be respected and feared, you have to conquer the Tau'ri and force them to be subservient to you. The people of Earth have a reputation for being a formidable enemy with great soldiers who can lay waste to large numbers of Jaffa with only a few men. To control that is to be feared. To destroy it is to be thanked then stabbed in the back the moment you reveal your backside to the ones you thought your friends."

"And I thought Human politics were bad," Lieutenant-Colonel Kimberly Tara Strauss, more commonly known by 'Tara' to help avoid confusion between her and Kimi, said. She served as the Executive Officer for Zeta-5 and one of three defacto 'shrinks' for the members of the Zeta Initiative as a whole. While she didn't have any training in the subject, she just had one of those personalities that let you know you always had someone to talk to.

One of the many heavy staff cannon emplacements mounted on the walls above them managed to hit Jace square in the chest. The man not only fell back with a smoking crater in his armor, he also slid backwards out of cover. With a flick of his unnatural power, Ry sent a tendril of silver out to the man's body. It landed on his leg, and, with a jerk as if he were fishing, Ry pulled him back towards him. With another flick, Jace's course was altered mid-air and he landed in the waiting arms of Doctor Miguel. Both he and Doctor Colt were at the very back of their formation behind the snipers. This kept them close enough to help, but far enough away to not be an obvious target.

"We need to get past this barricade," Ry said simply from his place at the head of the assault line.

His HUD displayed the relative condition of his teammates, and, as the leader of the assault as a whole, he had access to everyone's vitals. He was, therefore, relieved when Jace's heart rate stabilized and his condition slowly improved as Miguel and Colt applied burn cream to his charred torso as well as administering pain meds and stemming the bleeding. With a bit of luck, he'd live long enough for them to get him to the dedicated medical facilities on their ships.

They were forcing their way up the hill that the city was built on. This gave their enemy the high ground and had them working against gravity as they climbed the steep, cliff-like face. It also gave their resident strategist an idea.

"Ry, can you move dirt?" Jeramie asked.

Their armor, to better portray them as aliens, always scrambled their words and amplified their voices so that it was if the aliens were shouting orders to one another in their native tongue. In reality, they didn't need to be heard at all. When performing a stealth op, that function of the armor is shut off and all communication is run through a heavily encrypted battle-net to avoid detection. This time, however, they wanted to sell the idea that unknown aliens had taken a city held by a rather legendary Goa'uld.

"Indeed," Ry replied as he returned fire with his weapon.

The enemy was using a rapid fire rifle that shot plasma rounds. A rather strange weapon for a Jaffa to have, but it made sense given that Ptah was the greatest inventor to the Goa'uld species. They also had armor more in line with what the SG teams wore as opposed to the utterly useless decorative armor worn by the other Jaffa.

The Zeta teams, on the other hand, had weapons based off of a Furling design. It used a miniature railgun-like catapult to accelerate small kinetic projectiles to greater speeds. This improved their range, but the design had been imperfect when found. The original design used bullets the size of a grain of rice. Needless to say, this didn't leave very large wounds in the target's body so the Zeta Initiative's scientists had altered the weapons to fire larger bullets. This, however, came at a cost. Not only did the weapon run off of an ammo clip, it also overheated if the propulsion system was pushed too hard. This limited the number of rounds that could be fired from the weapon, but several modifications could be used to customize the guns carried into battle to better suit the users.

Modified propulsion systems could fire with more impact force at the cost of faster overheating such as what they used in the sniper rifles. Another modification included a more advanced heat-sink at the cost of physical-clip capacity. Scopes could be added at the expense of extra weight and bulkiness. The number of modifications that could be made to a Furling personnel weapon were so extensive that the odds of any two guns being used by the Zeta teams being the same was actually rather slim. Unfortunately, however, they were still working out the kinks in the modified ammo systems that the Furlings used. With any luck, they'd see incendiary, cryogenic, radioactive, and other such ammo types in a month's time as opposed to the basic shredder and armor piercing ammos they were using. It would certainly help against the Ta-tanen.

"This hill is pretty unstable. Why don't you go ahead and help it along?" Jeramie asked, his tones revealing the smile that was surly plastered on his face.

Ry simply stood up out of his cover and pulled on the power stored in his modified genetics. A silver aura surrounded his body before he lashed out with that power and pulled on the dirt that was under the feet of his enemy. With a rumble like an avalanche, the ground gave out under the modified pull of gravity and the Ta-tanen were swept away and down the hill. Their path now significantly less guarded, the Zeta teams stormed the weakened defenses at the gate into the city, weapons blazing.

*City of Memphis (Throne Room) [thirty minutes later]*

The last of the defending Ta-tanen fell to the guns of the invaders and Ptah held back the curse as it formed in his throat. "They have arrived," he said to his First Prime.

"What are your orders, My Lord?" Niptahkau asked.

Ptah studied the images on the screens around him and slowly shook his head. Even with several of the aliens wounded, they had pushed through his defense like a great wave against the shore. Slowly but surely his mighty Jaffa had fallen. "These… emissaries of the Mimner. They interest me," Ptah finally replied.

"They fight better than even the Tau'ri," Niptahkau agreed.

"Their equipment is far more advanced," Ptah said dismissively. "You have witnessed firsthand how much that matters."

"And I ask again, My Lord. What do you wish of me?" Niptahkau asked, clearly concerned for his master's safety.

"Ready the vessel for launch. We will leave either when necessary or after I have spoken to these ambassadors."

"My Lord, surely you wouldn't…" Niptahkau began.

"I am not a fool, Niptahkau," Ptah assured him. "I will speak with them, and they will hear me. Their master has demanded this of them, I am sure."

"Very well, My Lord," Niptahkau replied with a bow. "I will ready the vessel."

The aging Jaffa walked into one corner of the room where a set of rings took him to Ptah's personal ship. No sooner had the last ring risen then the enemy entered the Throne Room. Niptahkau had only the chance to glare at the gathered invaders before his view was terminated in a flash of light. With but a single button, Ptah locked the rings and prevented the Jaffa from returning.

Turning to the armored figures before him, Ptah smiled. "You must be the emissaries of the Mimner. Welcome to my personal chambers."

The alien before him tilted its head to one side then the other. Its three eyes looked him over, judged him, then, finally, it spoke. Its voice was slightly distorted as its alien language was translated to Goa'uld, but at least he wouldn't have to try to learn a new language just to threaten these people.

"You are Ptah?" the alien asked, clearly unimpressed. "I was expecting… more."

Ptah's eyes flashed briefly before he regained his composure. Then he smiled. It was a sick, twisted smile, but a smile nonetheless. "You are brave, Emissary, to come into my home and insult me. Brave, and very foolish. If you leave now, I will allow you to live."

The alien laughed at his words, the others in its group maintaining a more serious composure. "If I leave now, I might trip over all of the dead bodies I left in my wake," the alien chuckled. "You are but one, and those under you were no harder to kill than any other enemy we have faced."

"True as that may be," Ptah countered coolly, "you have yet to face my personal guard."

"Niptahkau? The one who has already fled?" the alien asked. "Or do you refer to the ones hiding in the shadows?"

As if on cue, three of the people standing amongst the group of soldiers flickered out of existence only to reappear in the corners of his Throne Room, their weapons pressed against the flesh of his most well trained Jaffa. The holographic copies of the armored figures that had accompanied the group in had only been a diversion. The real threat were the three amongst them that, like his own elite warriors, had cloaking devices… but they had only brought three.

"That was just to show you that we can see your soldiers," the alien before him said before drawing a smaller weapon from his leg and firing at an empty spot in the room. The wall behind the targeted area was instantly coated in brain matter as another of his elite fell to the ground in a limp heap. "That was to prove that your personal shields aren't going to protect you."

"Interesting," Ptah mused while rubbing his chin. "I have watched you march through my home with impunity. I have seen your men suffer injuries that would kill a lesser creature. None of the wounds that were inflicted upon you were stopped by personal shields, only your armor. So tell me, how do you have the technology to counter a personal shield, but still do not possess one yourself?"

"We need only the Mimner's grace to survive the likes of you," the alien replied.

"**Then I do hope your God is as powerful as you believe it to be!"** Ptah roared as his personal guard dropped their cloaks, raised their weapons, and opened fire on the group of aliens. A push of a button on his wrist device had Ptah smiling smugly… until he failed to beam out. With a look of shock on his face, he quickly unlocked the rings in the room and moved to the platform.

Behind him, the aliens formed a tight circle around one of them that projected a shield over their group. Plasma bolts failed to hit their targets, the barrier pushing the projectiles off course, while the weapons of the emissaries tore into his most loyal and loved Jaffa with impunity. Ptah took one last look at the carnage in the room as the rings surrounded him. In a flash of light he was gone from the danger, but the images would stay in his dreams for years to come. If he lived that long.

As the last of the elite Jaffa warriors fell to the guns of the Zeta teams, Jeramie looked to the only person other than Ry to have not fired a single shot since entering the Throne Room. Ry had been busy protecting them. Major Brian Hail, the Combat Engineer and pilot for Zeta-5, had been busy wirelessly interfacing with a device that had no power. It was not a task most people would consider possible, but the Furlings had found a way.

"Did you…" Jeramie began before Ry dropped to the ground in the middle of their cluster. Both of the doctors with them were instantly looking him over so the Colonel went back to getting answers. "Did you get it?" Jeramie asked.

Brian didn't answer right away which had Jeramie nervously tapping his foot. Finally the man looked up, a smile on his face hidden under his metal helmet. "Damn right I did," he replied as he turned his wrist so that his palm was facing down. The holoprojectors built into the armor worn by the Combat Engineer flared to life. Where they had just been being used to fool the Goa'uld into thinking they were all present, it was now displaying the designs for a network of satellites that pulled on the energy of a planet's natural electromagnetic field and twisted it into something more potent while adding more power to sustain the changes. The galaxy's first fully operational planetary defense shield. "Earth just got a hell of a lot safer."

"Not until we have transmitted the designs to the Alpha Site and the technology has been implemented. Until then, they are still exposed," Ry countered as the doctors helped him sit up.

"You alright?" Jeramie asked.

"Physical exhaustion," Doctor Colt replied. "He'll be fine after he eats."

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Control Room) [present]*

"_They showed up with a small fleet, exchanged a few… pleasantries, I guess you could say, transmitted the designs and said, 'Consider this a gift from the Mimner. May his kindness not be forgotten in a time of need',"_ General Ervin reported, a shake of his head indicating how unbelievable this whole situation was.

"And you said that they disabled the weapons systems on both the _Devastator_ and the _Ares_?" General Landry asked.

"_Yes, sir. The _Devastator_ couldn't even get her weapons online and the _Ares_ wasn't able to lock target on their ships. The computers kept registering them as friendly."_

"Purge the computers on both ships. Reinstall the operating system from the ground up and make sure this can't happen again. If the Mimner can do it, then it's possible the Goa'uld will find a way," Landry ordered.

"_I was thinking the same thing, sir. I had the techs start the process before I dialed in. Sir… what do we do with this?"_

"Scan it **extensively**. Make sure there aren't any viruses in the data then start producing the design. I'll get Area 51, the Beta Site, and Gamma Site to put their industry behind it and get whatever companies on Earth we can to build the individual components. This is the first major breakthrough for Earth's defense since the discovery of the Arctic Weapons Platform. I want an operational system in place by the end of the month," Landry gruffly retorted.

Internally he was smiling. This was what the Zeta Initiative was for; stealing designs from people that, if Earth had moved against, would have declared war against the planet. Now they had a conceivable way to protect Earth from an orbital force and surface to orbit weapons capable of destroying entire fleets. His day just got better. Then he remembered that the _Daedalus_ was finally undergoing true repairs and that the _Odyssey_ was on its way to Ida. Things were finally looking up for them.


	23. Coming of Age

Chapter 22

Coming of Age

***Ida Galaxy (Asgard Territory)***

**Orilla (En Route)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Gym)*

After the stress of the past… what had it been? A month and a half? Two months? Three? Hell, Cameron couldn't even keep it straight in his head anymore. They had been with the Colonials for a while, that much he knew for certain. Not anymore though. Now they were traveling with the Asgard to Orilla and that was going so much smoother than anything else had in the past few weeks. Still, Cameron found himself needing to blow off some steam so he had challenged Teal'c to a duel.

The gym was a room with various workout equipment and machines set around a square area marked off on the floor. Dressed in sweats and tee-shirts, Teal'c and Cam were the only ones there. They were sparing with Sodan training sticks within the square when they came to an impasse, sticks crossed.

"This vessel does not have a pool," Teal'c calmly stated.

"I was talking about the gambling variety," Cam replied before shoving off.

They parried for a few more seconds, until Teal'c hit Cameron in the lower back. Cam grabbed his back, and Teal'c stepped away to allow him to recover. "I do not wish to speculate," the old Jaffa said.

"He only said it was something important. You're not the least bit curious?" Cam asked.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, "but I would not risk a wager."

He took another swing at Cameron, who ducked the blow with a yelp of alarm.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Auxiliary Room Three)*

The _Odyssey_ had several rooms that weren't furnished beyond a table with chairs. These could be used to house meetings if the Conference Room was taken, damaged, or otherwise not available. They could be used for storage, or, as this room was currently, they could be used for impromptu parties. Inside of the room were balloons, streamers, and a cake. Where they managed to get party decorations from while on a warship was beyond Daniel, but, then again, this was Vala they were talking about.

"You never cease to amaze me," Daniel said with a shake of his head.

"Moral was a little low, I'm just helping to fix that," Vala replied with a smile. "It's your birthday?!" Vala asked loudly in a shocked tone before practically shouting, "Happy birthday, Daniel!" That had everyone in the room looking at the duo expectantly.

"It's not my birthday," Daniel assured them before leaving the room.

"Hey!" Vala called after him as she followed him out of the room. "We made a weird cat piñata thingy."

With a sigh, Daniel turned to face her. "I told you to bring something to amuse yourself. I didn't mean me or the crew."

"But they won't believe that it's my birthday… again," Vala replied nervously.

"Not my problem," Daniel replied. "Just stick to celebrating the fact we're alive and stop making stuff up. You don't have to impress these people, Vala. Being on SG-1 impresses them enough."

Daniel turned to leave and Vala called after him again. "Being stuck on this ship is worse than being stuck at the SGC. I-I-I tell you, the last time I was this bored, I took hostages!"

"I was there," Daniel replied without looking back.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"Major?" General O'Neill asked as he walked onto the Bridge with Colonel Davidson right behind him.

"We're approaching the coordinates, sir," Marks replied.

"Drop us out," O'Neill ordered before turning back to Davidson. "That's about all I can tell you given your clearance levels."

"I command one of two Battlecruisers currently flying under the banner of the USAF and I don't have the clearance to know where Colonel Viride comes from?" Davidson asked, more than a little off put by that logic.

"Well, Ian, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…" Jack began.

"Sir, with all due respect, he's stranded with the Colonials because of me. The least you can do is tell me that's he's going to take care of my people!"

"Yes, Ian, Oliver is perfectly capable of watching over twenty technicians. I know this because he's directly responsible for the wellbeing of two-hundred men and women from multiple nations across the globe with a few aliens thrown into the mix just for good measure. Your people are safe, Colonel, you have my word."

"You'd trust him with the lives of SG-1?" Davidson asked.

Jack smiled at that. "I did, and it paid off," the General replied as they dropped out of hyperspace.

"We're being hailed. The Asgard are requesting permission to beam aboard, sir," Marks reported.

"Granted," O'Neill replied as the rest of SG-1 walked onto the Bridge.

A flash of light deposited an Asgard before the Bridge crew. "Greetings, and welcome to Orilla," Thor greeted them.

"Thor!" Carter exclaimed happily. "Thanks for pulling our asses of the fire!"

"Hello, Colonel Carter. It is good to see you and the rest of the _Odyssey_'s crew alive and well," Thor replied.

Leaning in to whisper to Daniel, Vala asked, "Out of curiosity, how can you tell the difference?" Not having met any Asgard in her time with SG-1, she wasn't privy to the ways everyone told them apart.

"It's the voice," Daniel replied. "Well, you already know Jack, Sam, and myself. This is Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron Mitchell, the current leader of SG-1, and this is Vala Mal Doran. She's… well, Vala."

"Hey!" Vala exclaimed while slapping Daniel on the arm.

"Greetings," Thor replied with a blink of his big eyes.

"So, Thor, how you been? Haven't heard from you in a while," Jack said.

"I am sorry. I have been otherwise occupied. As mentioned in our communication, the High Council wishes to meet with you to explain in greater detail, but there is not much time. General, with your permission, a number of Asgard are prepared to beam aboard immediately to begin installing various technological upgrades to this ship," Thor replied. "We will also begin repairing any damage not corrected by the _Cursor_ and install upgrades to the outer hull as well."

"I hope it's ray guns. I got ray guns in the pool," Cam said to Teal'c.

"What is it you're planning on giving us?" Jack asked.

"Everything we have and know," Thor replied simply.

"By that, you mean…" Vala prompted.

"Everything," Thor said again. "All our most current technology. All our knowledge."

That had the Bridge sitting in a silence so complete the humming of the life-support systems was the only audible sound.

"Sorry, we're just a little stunned. I mean, why are you doing this? You've always resisted in the past. You always said we weren't ready," Daniel finally broke the silence.

"Indeed. Many Asgard still believe that," Thor confirmed.

"So what's changed?" Colonel Davidson asked.

"As a race, we are dying. Very soon, we will all be gone." Normally the neutrality in an Asgard's voice was frustrating. Here… it was just plain sad.

**Orilla (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Engine Room) [a few hours later]*

"The Asgard Computer Core is equipped with its own power source that will not infringe on your ship's ZPM. However, when the upgrades are complete, the Core will be fully integrated into all the ship's systems," Thor explained.

"There must be something more you can do," Sam said.

"I assure you, we are providing you with all the latest Asgard technology, as well as a knowledge base, including our entire recorded history," Thor replied with another blink of his big black eyes.

"That's not what I was talking about," Sam immediately countered. She didn't want the Asgard to think she was blowing them off for tech.

"Everything that can be done, has been done. The final attempt to solve our physiological degeneration has left each of us with a rapidly progressing disease," Thor elucidated. "If you like, you'll be able to interface with the Core using a holographic representation of me, or any other Asgard on record in the knowledge base.

"I'm sorry, but that just won't be the same," Sam said sadly as she tried to keep working through the depression she was sinking into.

Thor actually managed to look insulted by her words. "I have been working on this for the better part of a year, Colonel Carter," Thor stressed.

"I'm sorry," Sam said as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. "The past two months have been one problem after another. I got into a cyber-fight with an AI, the Ori damaged the _Odyssey_, I've spent weeks trying to keep the ship running, we've lost people, we've all been injured, we almost ran out of supplies, we left the Colonials to fend for themselves, the Cylons are still out there, and part of the crew is stuck out there with them running from killer machines! I haven't slept right in weeks," Sam continued as she sunk to the floor with her hands over her eyes. "Talking to a hologram isn't going to make this any easier," she managed to get out between the nearly silent sobs. "You'll still be gone."

"Yours may be a young and somewhat reckless race, but your potential is unrivaled," Thor said in a gentle tone as he used his tiny hands to move Sam's arm out from before her face. "Your judgment is easily clouded by your compassion, but it is your compassion that makes you who you are as a people. This is the coming of age for humanity. You **are** the Fifth Race. Your role is clear. If there is any hope in preserving the future, it lies with the Tau'ri."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Sam asked, "No pressure, huh?"

"You have earned both my respect and my friendship," Thor replied in a soft tone.

"Well, that feeling's mutual," Sam said with a small smile.

"Please do not be sad. The end of my people has been a long time coming. We have made too many irreversible mistakes in our development. Hopefully, you can learn something from it. My only regret is that our physical weakness has left us incapable of helping you further. However, it is the opinion of the High Council that leaving you with one ship could be largely beneficial to your understanding of the technologies we are giving you. While she does not possess the upgrades we have installed on the _Odyssey_, the _Clausus Cursor_ is still a powerful vessel of war."

"Wait!" Sam exclaimed, completely caught off-guard, "You're **giving** us an _O'Neill_-class Warship? Why?"

With the Asgard equivalent of a smile, Thor said, "Because we trust you to do what is right, both for your people and for the denizens of your galaxy. The Tau'ri are great warriors, but what sets you apart from the others is your belief in peace and fair treatment. As a species, your people saw the Goa'uld for what they were, yet you sacrificed so many of your own soldiers to free the Jaffa rather than simply killing them. It would've been easier to use the methods you developed to eliminate all Goa'uld life on a planet, but it was not your way. Even when your NID chose this path, you risked it all to stop them. Your sense of justice and compassion are what makes your species great." Moved by such a powerful statement, Sam gave the small gray alien a hug.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [a few minutes later]*

"Sir, three Ori Motherships just dropped out of hyperspace and are approaching the planet," Marks reported.

"Colonel, this is the Bridge. We have three contacts. Ori Motherships bearing down," Davidson said into the internal comms.

"_Sir, the hyperdrive is still offline. Diverting power to the shields,"_ Sam replied.

"_We must go,"_ Thor's voice could be heard saying over the open channel.

"_Sir, the Asgard just disembarked. It'll take a few minutes to get the hyperdrive back online,"_ Sam informed them.

"_Alright, people, let's get the hell out of dodge,"_ Jack replied from his position on the CIC of the _Clausus Cursor_.

The _Odyssey_, accompanied by the ship captained by the person its class was named after, quickly turned tail and ran away from Orilla. One of the Ori Motherships followed behind the slightly slower _Odyssey_ and unloaded into her shield from the rear while the other two Motherships approached the planet.

The _Odyssey_ took another hit, the ship shaking under their feet, and Marks reported. "Shields are down to eighty-three percent."

"How the hell did they find us?" Cam asked as he ran onto the Bridge. Another blast knocked them around again and Cam asked, "Some reason we're not jumping to hyperspace?"

"Carter's working on it," Davidson replied calmly. In his experience, he knew the woman would pull through. She had a knack for it.

"Sir," Marks interrupted. "Sensors are detecting a massive buildup of energy coming from the planet."

"Everyone hold on tight!" Davidson ordered into the internal comms while bracing himself in his chair.

Behind them, the surface of Orilla erupted with huge explosions. After a moment, the entire planet exploded, and a massive shockwave radiated out through space. The shockwave quickly crossed the distance and slammed into the trio of ships as they ran from the destruction of the Asgard race.

"Shields are down to fifty percent," Marks reported as the shockwave dispersed into the immenseness of space.

"Colonel!" Davidson said into the comms.

"_Sir, the hyperdrive is now online, but we have to get clear of the radiation caused by the explosion before we can make the jump safely,"_ Sam replied.

"How about the Asgard energy weapons?" Davidson asked.

"_They haven't been tested yet, sir,"_ Sam informed him.

"Shields are down to twenty-eight percent. At maximum sub-light, we're forty-seven seconds to get clear," Marks reported.

"We're not gonna make it," Cam said what they were all thinking.

"Sir, the _Cursor_ has swung around and is blocking the enemy's fire," Marks said.

"Looks like Jack wants a fight. Let's see what these new Asgard upgrades are made of. Come about and power the energy weapons!" Davidson ordered.

"Energy weapons are powered," Donnelly replied. The tone in his voice was clearly one of hope. Hope that this would work.

"Fire!"

Donnelly didn't even wait to confirm the order. He let loose with everything they had and was surprised to see beams of blue energy slamming into the shields of the Ori Mothership in place of the ion or plasma cannons he was expecting.

"Sensors indicate enemy shields are fluctuating," Marks reported, a note of surprise to his tone.

"Keep firing!" Davidson ordered, his own voice full of hope. They'd never hit the Ori hard enough to fluctuate their shields.

"Their shields are down!" Marks all but shouted in surprise.

To prove his point, for there were many who doubted that such a feat could be achieved by their own hands, Donnelly fired another two beams at the ship… and they both impacted the hull. Secondary explosions tore the rest of the Mothership apart and a fireball filled the forward viewport with blinding light.

"I'll be damned!" Davidson breathed in shock.

"We got 'em." The way he said it, Cam's statement sounded more like a question.

"Sir, we're clear of the radiation field and General O'Neill is ordering us to jump," Marks reported through his daze.

"Get us into hyperspace," Davidson ordered.

"Yes, sir," Marks replied.

With a smile on his face that said it all, Davidson turned to Teal'c and said, "I guess it doesn't take the activation of a Supergate to destroy an Ori Mothership after all!"

"Indeed," the stoic Jaffa replied though even he seemed shocked by their victory.

"_Why the hell did they not equip this ship with those weapons too?"_ Jack asked over an open channel. _"It's not like they didn't have the time!"_

"Thor said that the _Cursor_ wasn't fully upgraded," Daniel countered. "We'll just have to install them ourselves when we get home."

"_Fine,"_ Jack relented, the tone of his voice betraying the utter merriment he was feeling at finally having a weapon capable of destroying the Ori.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Obscured Arm)***

**Galactic Edge (Hyperspace)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Corridor) [two hours later]*

"Run another diagnostic of the data," Sam ordered the technician exiting the elevator with her.

"Yes, ma'am," the other woman replied before walking off one way while Sam moved to meet Davidson who was waiting for her.

"Colonel, how's that report coming? I want to be able to brief the President as soon as we get back. He's gonna want to know how quickly we can duplicate this new Asgard weaponry," Davidson asked excitedly.

"I'm working on it, sir, but something else has come up. The hyperdrive diagnostic is spitting out some data that's concerning me," Sam replied.

"We took some damage that's causing a problem?" Davidson asked, instantly deflated.

"I think we need to drop out and run a few tests, just to be sure," Sam said in as comforting a tone as she could.

"This won't be another two-month stall during which we find another alien fleet running from killer machines, will it?" he asked in a half joking/half serious tone.

Sam gave him a small smile at his attempt at humor. "I hope not."

**Galactic Edge (Dead Space)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [a few minutes later]*

"Sir, two contacts just appeared on sensors. Motherships. Ori. Closing fast," Marks reported as Davidson sat in his chair reading over one of the many reports coming in from across the ship.

"Colonel, given we've already taken damage, I'd rather not take on two more ships," Davidson said into the intercom system as the Ori entered weapons range and opened fire.

"_Sir, the hyperdrive is back on-line,"_ Sam reported a second later. In the time it took for her to switch the drive back on, they had lost nearly half of their shields. Apparently the Ori were no longer concerned with the _Cursor_, not when the _Odyssey_ was the one shooting beams at them.

"Get us back into hyperspace," Davidson quickly ordered.

"Yes, sir," Marks replied without hesitation as he turned the ship away from their assault run and tore open space with the hyperdrive. The _Cursor_ quickly followed knowing full well that a one-on-one fight against the Ori was still a risk without the upgrades. Marks honestly never thought he'd see the day that an Earth vessel was more feared than an Asgard warship.

**Galactic Edge (Hyperspace)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Briefing Room) [a few minutes later]*

Sam walked into the Briefing room with a tablet in hand and took in the gathered personnel. Davidson and Cameron were already seated with Daniel and Vala while Jack's avatar stood with one leg **in** the table.

"It's a hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" Cam was asking O'Neill.

"Well…" Sam replied, all eyes turning to her. "It would be… unless they were tracking us and just waiting for us to drop out."

"_I thought they couldn't track us in hyperspace,"_ Jack rightfully countered.

"Unless it was the Ori themselves, tipping off the Priors," Vala countered. When Daniel looked at her funny, she added, "We have weapons that can beat them, Daniel, and they know that we're running back to Earth to install them on every ship we have. If they want to add all the power that converting this galaxy would give them to their already expansive power…"

"I wasn't doubting you," Daniel cut her off. "It's just that we've already passed back into the Milky Way. As far as we know, the Ancients should have a problem with the Ori using their ascended powers right under their noses. That, and I think that's the first time you included yourself as part of Earth when you said 'we'."

"As far as we know," Sam stressed the more important part of Daniel's answer to Vala's question.

"At least we now have weapons we know will destroy an Ori ship," Cam argued.

"Well that's not gonna do us any good if they can track us wherever we go. Eventually the _Odyssey_'s gonna come up against more than she can handle. What if the next time we drop out they send three ships? Even with the shields fully recharged, we'd be hard-pressed to hold them off, let alone destroy one. And then what? We finally get to Earth and there's a fleet waiting for us?"

"_Don't jinx it!"_ Jack said sternly.

"Is it possible the Priors can detect the new technology given to us by the Asgard without the help of the Ori?" Teal'c asked.

"I suppose the new power source could be giving off some sort of unique energy signature that's detectable from sub-space. That would certainly explain the readings the hyperdrive is giving us. The signature is probably what's causing the stress on the drive as well. However, without further experimentation, the only way to find out is to shut it off and see if that stops the Ori from following us," Sam replied with a shrug.

"Do it," Jack ordered.

"The problem with that, sir, is that the new Asgard Core is currently tied into every system on this ship. We would have to drop out of hyperspace and isolate the core from the hyperdrive controls, and that could take some time," Sam continued.

"What about the _Cursor_?" Davidson asked.

"_What about it?"_ Jack countered.

"Can we use it pull us through hyperspace?" Davidson clarified.

With a shake of her head, Sam said, "Of course it can! Why didn't I think of that?!"

"_Because you're exhausted,"_ Jack said in a caring tone. _"You need to sleep."_

"I'll sleep when we get back to Earth," Sam replied as she got up to go shut off the hyperdrive again.

**Galactic Edge (Hyperspace)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Engine Room) [a few minutes later]*

They had only been in hyperspace for a few minutes and already Sam could tell they were having problems. Running a scan of the massive ship pulling them through hyperspace she once again noticed that the hyperdrive was giving off strange readings.

"Oh for the love of God! Give me a break for fuck's sake!" Sam shouted to the room at large before storming off to the Bridge, leaving behind a team of confused engineers several of which stepped up to her terminal to see what she was so upset about. Those that looked had similar reactions.

*****_**USS Odyssey**_** ('Daniel's Office') [a few minutes before Sam's discovery]***

Finally finishing the part of the translation he was working on, Daniel said to himself, "That can't be right." With a quick look at the system information Sam had downloaded from the 'base' on P3X-727, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. Running onto the Bridge, Daniel shouted, "We need to go back!"

Giving him his best 'Why' look, Davidson said, "They're dead, Doctor Jackson. There's no point in going back."

"What? No! Not to Orillia. We need to go back to P3X-727," Daniel insisted.

"Why?" Davidson asked, totally confused.

"Because it's not an underground **lab**. It's a **ship**! A massive ship the size as a Wraith Hive and loaded to brim with advanced weapons, shields, communications devices… the list goes on!" Daniel exclaimed.

Just as Davidson started to say, 'Cool,' Sam stormed onto the Bridge with a look that said, 'Get ready for more bad news.' "We can't go back," Sam said, arms crossed over her chest in frustration.

"_Why not?"_ Jack, who had appeared on their Bridge as a hologram, Daniel, and Davidson all asked in unison.

"Remember when I said that the Core was giving the _Odyssey_'s hyperdrive hell?" Sam asked.

"_Yes,"_ Jack replied in a 'how could I forget' tone.

"Well it's doing the same to the _Cursor_. You haven't realized it yet because you're all still on cloud nine and I don't blame you, but, and I've already checked, if we don't drop out soon the radiation will cause the _Cursor_'s hyperdrive to fail all together thus leaving us stranded here until the _Daedalus_ can get back to Earth and pick up replacement parts for us. Either that or they'd have to send the _Apollo_ and it's not ready for space, let alone hyperspace, and we all know what happened to the last ship we rushed into service," Sam's informed them.

"_What do we need to do?"_ Jack asked with a frustrated sigh.

"The only option I can think of is to shut off the Core. If we disable the power, the Core will shut down and, poof, problem solved."

"'Poof'?" Daniel asked.

Jack took a deep breath while rubbing the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm down. _"What's the catch?"_ he asked once his head was feeling slightly better.

"The Core is tied into every system on the _Odyssey_ from the hyperdrive, to the inertial dampeners, to the life-support, and everything in-between. I know that this story is getting old, but the only way to shut it off is to drop out and disconnect it from the systems, otherwise we risk one of them malfunctioning when we really need it. I'm also fairly sure that the Ori are somehow tracking the turbulence that the Core is putting out. Essentially they're tracking the radiation wave and therefore the _Odyssey_ herself. It's a very likely scenario that they'll know where we are shortly after we drop out, even if we cloak the _Odyssey_."

With an overly exaggerated sigh, Jack replied, _"You're right, that story __**is**__ getting old. Colonel Davidson, as of his moment, I am relieving you of your command."_ Davidson visually flinched at the words as if he had been punched in the gut. _"As of now, you are tasked with getting these people home safe. I am relinquishing command of the _Clausus Cursor_ to you and will oversee the _Odyssey_'s journey back to Earth myself. You and the rest of the _Odyssey_'s none-essential crew will be beamed over as soon as we drop out of hyperspace. Your orders are to continue on to Earth and report the situation to Stargate Command. Do you understand your orders?"_

Squaring his shoulders and swallowing his surprise, Davidson replied, "Yes, General. I won't let them down."

"_Good, then you herby stand relieved of command of the _USS Odyssey_. We'll switch over as soon as we drop out of hyperspace,"_ Jack ordered.

"I stand relieved, aye, sir," Davidson replied.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Engine Room) [six hours later]*

It had taken six hours of intensive labor to finally figure out how to disconnect the incredibly advanced super-computer from the _Odyssey_'s systems. The whole time Sam worked, the Ori kept firing their damn beams through the ship as if they could somehow damage it now when they couldn't before. It was a testament to their idiocy in her opinion.

_**FINALLY**_ finishing, Sam stood up, pressed a few buttons on the Core, then started moving the ship. Now that the _Odyssey_ was no longer connected to the computer, the only thing left to do was unplug the power core.

"Alright, sir, I've disconnected the Core from all the systems and diverted its power output into the shields. All we have to do now is disconnect the ZPM from the phase drive and channel the energy back into the ship. Once that's done we can shut off the Core and they won't be able to track us anymore. I suggest we jump into hyperspace as soon as we're ready," Sam said into the comms channel.

"_Alright, Carter, will do. Now get your ass up here and get the hyperdrive back online," _Jack ordered.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

In the time it took Sam to reach the Bridge and power-up the hyperdrive, Jack had managed to destroy another of the Ori Motherships using the Asgard's new plasma beam weapons. Ignoring his feral smile, Sam brought the engines to full and jumped the _Odyssey_ into hyperspace.

"Hey! We were winning!" Jack whinnied.

"No, we weren't," Sam corrected him. "Our shields were failing," Sam countered before radioing Mitchell. "Alright, Cam, just hit the button and the Core will shut down." There was an audible wiring sound as if the generator didn't want to turn off before Cam reported the screens had gone dark. "**Finally**, we can go home!"

"Not exactly," Daniel said. Looking over to Jack, he continued, "We were talking, and Jack agrees that leaving P3X-727 to the Ori is a bad idea. We're going to make sure that they didn't find the ship that's buried there."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P3X-727 (En Route)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [a few hours later]*

As Jack walked back onto the Bridge from the restroom, Sam said, "Nice timing, I was just about to go find you." Without even waiting for his reply, she took one last look at her consul and started explaining. "The ZPM isn't doing too well. I think that we over taxed it between using the phase shifter twice, the firefights with the Ori, and getting struck by the explosion of Orilla."

"How does a ZPM 'not do well'?" Jack asked in a confused tone.

"We've burned through a lot of energy over the past couple of days. The ZPM is… 'tired' I guess you could say," Sam explained with a worried look.

"Great, just what I needed to hear!" Jack exclaimed angrily.

"Calm down, Jack," Sam said as she placed a hand on his shoulder and made him turn around to face her. "The ZPM on _Atlantis_ gave off similar readings after the Second Siege. It took three days before the ZPM's total output capacity could be used again. It doesn't mean it won't work, it just means that we only have fifty percent of its power available to us right now. McKay theorized it was due to the stress of the power leaving the crystal structure, and Zelenka said it was probably the artificial region of subspace in the crystal destabilizing and the ZPM trying to prevent an overload. They're probably both half-right."

Taking a deep breath to help calm himself, Jack walked over to the comms button and asked, "Daniel, are we going to find the secrets of the universe on this planet we're going to?"

"_From what I was able to determine from the data we brought with us from the planet, the structure we were in was actually a massive spaceship the size of a Wraith Hive,"_ Daniel replied over the radio.

"Are we going to find something to replace the ZPMs we still can't produce on our own?"

There was a moment of silence before Daniel's voice replied, this time from the doorway. "I honestly can't answer that question, Jack, but," he quickly stopped Jack from interrupting him, "think about it. A ship the size of a Hive **has** to have an immensely powerful generator. At the very least, do you really want the Ori getting their hands on another huge warship?"

"No, but can't we just send the _Cursor_ once we've upgraded her?" Jack countered.

"Come on, Jack! This might be our only chance to find an operational Super Dreadnought!" Daniel pleaded.

Blinking in surprise, Jack asked, "Super Dreadnought?"

"Yes! Didn't I tell you that already?" Daniel asked in a confused tone. He was sure he had mentioned it at some point.

"No!" Jack, Mitchell, Vala, and even Sam all said at once.

Teal'c added an "Indeed not, Doctor Jackson," to the end of everyone else's surprise.

"Sorry," Daniel replied sheepishly.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (En Route)**

*_Clausus Cursor_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Sir," one of the engineers said as they walked up to Davidson. After receiving his go-ahead, the man continued, "Colonel Cater was right, the Asgard Computer Core did have an adverse effect on the efficiency of the hyperdrive. Exposure to the radiation signature, coupled with the strain of pulling the _Odyssey_ through with us, caused the drive to… uh… I'd describe it as 'slipping into a comma.' While it is still operating, it's operating on the level of the Goa'uld's interplanetary hyperdrive. It'll take us just over a day to reach Earth, but repairing it to full efficiency will be as easy as scrubbing the radiation signature," the man added before being dismissed.

Turning to Marks, Davidson asked, "How long will it take us reach sub-space communications range of Earth?"

Looking over his consul, the young Major replied, "Approximately two hours ago. The Asgard have more range than we do."

"Right," Davidson said meekly.

"I should amend that," Marks continued. "We can send messages to Earth, but they can't send anything back. The ground-based systems aren't powerful to reach us this far out."

"In that case, I want you to send a data burst to the SGC informing them of the events of the past few days."

"I'll ready the data package," Marks replied as he started compiling a list of things to include.

"Colonel Davidson, sir!" a voice called from the door to the CIC where a marine was keeping a woman from entering.

"Yes… Captain?" Davidson asked once he managed to remember the woman's rank. The fact that Colonial rank insignias were different from their own didn't make it easy.

"I, uh, had a few questions about what's going on," the woman replied somewhat timidly. Colonials weren't known for their subtlety, so that had Davidson raising a brow in confusion.

"What's on your mind?" Davidson asked as he left his command chair and motioned the woman to follow him as he left the CIC.

"Well… I don't know where we're going, but I imagine it's not back to the fleet…" the woman half-asked.

"No, Captain," Davidson said with a shake of his head. "We're not sure where the Colonial Fleet is, but we do know that the last time we saw them they were on the other side of the galaxy from our current position. We're actually headed for Earth right now."

"The other side of the galaxy, sir? We weren't… in… hyperspace?" the woman chewed on the words before finally spitting them out. "For that long, and you're telling me that we're on the other side of the galaxy from the Fleet?"

Davidson smiled at the woman's confusion then decided to add to it. "In the time since we left the Fleet, Captain, you've flown all the way out of the Milky Way Galaxy and made a brief visit to the Ida Galaxy. Our FTL drives, when they actually decide to work," he mumbled darkly, "operate on an intergalactic scale."

"Oh…" the woman replied, eyes wide with surprise. It was telling that the pilots they had picked up over the Tylium mine had stopped questioning the accuracy of the information they were being given. They took what they heard at face value and didn't question things like going to Earth, leaving the galaxy, or the _Odyssey_ having a shield over her armor. They took it in stride. "And what will you do with us?"

Here Davidson sighed. "I'm sorry, Captain, but the only ship we have in the galaxy right now that's space worthy is the _Odyssey_. We don't have anything else we can loan you so that you can go searching for the Fleet. We'll offer you sanctuary on Earth, and, with any luck, Colonel Viride will lead your people right to us."

"Does he know the way?" the Captain asked.

It was a valid question, and not one that Davidson knew the answer to. Oliver was a wild card. He'd never heard of the man until he appeared on his ship, and, even then, he knew very little. Still, he had faith that his crew would pull through, so, with a smile, Davidson said, "Everyone knows where home is."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P3X-727 (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

Space rent and tore as a vortex opened, disgorging the _USS_ _Odyssey_ a split second later and then closing again. Immediately alarms started to blare, even before the tiny ship could finish decelerating. Looking at her consul, Sam said, "Oh my God! We're in the middle of a supernova!" as the hull temperature started rapidly climbing.

"What?" Jack asked, totally confused, "I thought we were going to a planet? Don't tell me the navigational computer's fried!"

"No, it's not that," Sam replied. "We are where we're supposed to be… Oh my God!" Sam said again. Pressing a few buttons she brought up the image of a large rock floating away from them in space. "According to the sensors, that's the same planet we were on earlier. They also say that this supernova is relatively young and is emanating residual energy waves that match an Ori Mothership's main reactor core's energy signature," Sam said in a tone of total bewilderment.

Turning to face them directly, she explained it all better. "Somebody overloaded an Ori Mothership's main reactor with enough energy to cause it to go supernova! The energy required would match Daniel's description of the ship we're here for." By the end, everyone could tell that she was panicking as clearly the ship they had come to claim had already **been** claimed.


	24. Taken

Chapter 23

Taken

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P3X-727 (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"Well, you were right. We can't get a lock with the rings," Vala said as she came back to the Bridge from the Ring Room.

"Not all that surprising," Sam said absent mindedly. Wondering why the room had grown silent, she looked up from her terminal and realized they were all staring at her. "I've been going over the data we brought back with us. Whoever these people are, they're affiliated with the Ancients. We already know that they have some type of AI onboard. I think the AI might have put the ship into a state of lockdown after the Ori showed up. If the ship **is** in lockdown, then the rings are probably locked as well," she quickly explained.

"I wish we knew how to do that," Mitchell said throwing a playful look at Vala.

"Yeah," Daniel agreed, also sending a look Vala's way though his was a different type of look.

As Vala and Mitchell started to argue over her being a useful asset to the team, another alarm started to blare. Sam looked at the consul and swore again. "Shit! The Asgard Core just came online again!"

"How the hell did it turn back on?!" Jack bellowed. These new 'upgrades' only seemed to be getting them into more and more trouble, and the more trouble they got them into, the more Jack got annoyed with them! He was tired of metal floors and swirling blue tunnels! He wanted to go home to his cabin and fish! If only they could get home alive.

"It was some type of remote activation signal," Sam replied in a tone that was a fierce mixture of anger and pain. Working frantically she tried everything she could to shut down the Core again. Looking at the alarm sounding at the sensors consul, she swore, "Damn it! We've got three more Ori Motherships inbound. ETA, five minutes!"

"This just is not our day! We can't use the hyperdrive 'cause they'll just track us again!" Mitchell complained, punching the wall next to him in an act of frustration, an action he immediately regretted as his knuckles started bleeding and he could tell that he had definitely broken at least three knuckles.

"We need to take the ship out of phase again," Sam said with a worried look.

"Doesn't that take more power than cloaking?" Vala asked.

"Yes, but if they can detect us while we're in hyperspace I seriously doubt that the cloak will be able to hide us while the Core's active," Sam started before the alarm stopped and the Core shut down again.

"Great, now get us the hell out of here!" Jack ordered worriedly.

Activating the ship's cloak, Sam said, "Two things… One, it's too late to leave, they're already here, but we are cloaked so we should be safe. Second… I didn't do that."

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

"I didn't turn the Core back on, and I didn't turn it back off either," Sam explained. "Someone has remote access to the system."

"Who the hell would have the type of tech to remotely access an Asgard super-computer!?" Jack demanded.

"Probably the same people who have an AI," Sam replied worriedly.

"Who the hell owns that ship?" Jack asked, still on the verge of panic.

"I'm not sure, but I'm willing to guess we'll either find out soon, or end up dead. Obviously you all know which option **I'm** hoping for!" Sam replied in a full panic. When Jack opened his mouth to say something else, Sam interrupted him by shouting, "**Please** stop asking me questions for five minutes!" With a franticness not usually associated with, arguably, the SGC's most brilliant mind, Sam started inputting commands into the ship.

Taking a deep breathe Jack asked, "How long until they enter visual range?"

Looking at Sam's consul for her, Daniel said, "Any second now." As if on cue, the three ships came into view of the _Odyssey_ and the ship's new sensors beeped to indicate that they detected a new radiation signature that registered as a scanning device. Now **that** had Jack impressed.

"Uh, Samantha. I know we're cloaked and all, but, with supernovas being extremely hot and the _Odyssey_ being comparatively cold, couldn't they just look for a cooler bubble, which, you know, would be us, and shoot at it?" Vala asked. Mitchell, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c all turned to look at their resident former Goa'uld with a look that accused her of being an imposter to which Vala replied, "What? I'm not a **total** waste of space."

That conversation was cut short, however, when Sam got up and ran over to another consul and continued her furious typing. They could all tell by her frantic haste that Vala had been correct, and that was a strange fact indeed. As she switched the cloak back over to the shields, movement outside the forward viewport caught Sam's attention.

"Holy mother of God!" Sam exclaimed, eyes wide in horror, before she lost the ability to speak all together. Turning to look out the window, the rest of SG-1 had similar reactions. Outside of the forward viewport, a truly impressive and frightening shape emerged from the mass of swirling gasses.

A truly massive ship shimmered into existence, obviously de-cloaking, and Jack found that his jaw had hit the floor. The monstrous ship was ten-kilometer along its z-axis, five-hundred meters tall at its tallest part with a few 'thinner' areas across the structure's y-axis, and anywhere from two-hundred-fifty meters wide along its x-axis to nearly seven-hundred meters at its widest part. With its smoothly curving armored plates, gracefully arcing lines, and awe-inspiring size, the ship was not only slightly larger than a Wraith Hiveship, just as Daniel had said it would be, it was nearly as beautiful as _Atlantis_ with is architecture. Then hatches opened across the outer hull, and, from each and every hatch, emerged a giant. Fucking. Space gun!

The Ori's reaction to the behemoth in front of them was typical. They started unloading everything they had into it. That was their first mistake. With her jaw dropped to the floor along with everyone else's, Sam said, "Daniel was right. I'm detecting energy output levels beyond what a fully charged ZPM can produce."

"That doesn't do us much good if they're not friendly," Jack replied.

As if to emphasis his point, the oversized vessel's engines flared to life and the ship began to move. Even as her shield absorbed the beams of golden light that were slamming into the barrier, the monstrosity pointed its nose to the enemy and flew directly towards the Ori fleet. The Motherships broke formation and parted around the far larger ship as it charged into their ranks. That was their last mistake.

With a ship on either side of her and both of those ships no longer able to bring their main weapons to bear, the cannons lining the hull of the nightmare-made-reality fired. Half of the weapons targeted one of the two ships, her firepower split between two drastically inferior foes. Bolts of blue plasma slammed into the shields of the Ori like a great rain. Wave after wave of plasmatic fire impacted the unfortunate Ori ships until their shields finally collapsed under the barrage of raw firepower. Even the assembled fleet of ships from the Free Jaffa Nation, Lucian Alliance, and the two ships Earth sent weren't able to scratch the Ori's shields with the help of the Asgard, and here was one ship taking out two** simultaneously**.

The plasma rounds, unhindered, melted the hulls of their targets with an unsettling ease before something critical was finally breached and the two Motherships exploded, the lethal energy of their overloaded reactors washing harmlessly over their assailant. The sole remaining Mothership finished maneuvering back into a firing position and let loose with all that it had. Smaller weapons fire, beams, and fighters all swarmed the ship that had its back turned to the assault.

The turrets on the dorsal structure swiveled into position and returned fire, this time with dazzling blasts of golden flames. The plasma flak cannons tore into the fighters and took them down in droves, but this left the Mothership unchallenged.

Regathering her wits, Sam set a course and fired the engines before pulling up the tactical systems. With a single command, she diverted the extra power from the shields back into the weapons and opened fire. The _Odyssey_ entered the fight with her beams announcing her opinion of the Ori and their crusade. Four beams slammed into the rear shield of the Mothership in the time it took for Mitchell too take the other seat.

Altering their course to keep them from crashing into a piece of debris, Cam reported, "Their shields are fluctuating." Another beam hit the Mothership's shield and the barrier collapsed under the directed fire. "Energy spike," Cameron said as the Ori Mothership turned away from its assault. "They're running!"

The hyperspace window tore open the fabric of reality and Sam shifted targets. With a feral look on her face, and a fire in her eyes, Sam fired the last beam at the window itself. As the Mothership entered the hyperspace window, the subspace tunnel destabilized and the ship was torn apart by the energy of reality resealing the barriers between it and the realm of subspace.

"Having experienced something very close to what that must've been like, I have to say that was **cold**," Vala said as the Mothership was atomized before their very eyes.

"I'm opening a channel," Daniel said a little breathlessly. When Jack gave him the 'don't you mean we're running?' look he added, "They targeted the Ori, not us. I'm opening a channel." With a nod, Jack gave him the go ahead. As the channel crackled to life, Daniel said, "This is Doctor Daniel Jackson of the Tau'ri vessel the_ USS Odyssey_. We mean you no harm and wish to thank you for your assistance."

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Control Room)*

It had been way too long. The _Odyssey_ should've been back a long time ago. The Free Jaffa Nation didn't have any ships to spare to help in the search since their entire fleet was tied up in the defense of their territory, and the Tok'ra flat refused. The waiting was killing General Landry though he knew he had to stay strong or everyone else would give up too. The silence in the Control Room was broken by Walter. "Sir, we're receiving a sub-space transmission."

"Put it on screen," was Landry's gruff reply. One of the many screens in the Control Room changed. In place of the diagnostics window it had been showing, Colonel Davidson stood on the Bridge of a strange, yet familiar-looking ship. "Colonel Davidson, it's good to see you're alive and well. Where the hell is the _Odyssey_?"

The man's face visibly sagged as he replied. _"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know. The last time I saw her she was having trouble with her hyperdrive. General O'Neill ordered us to abandon her somewhere near the outer edge of the Obscured Galactic Spiral Arm. He kept SG-1 there to conduct repairs and sent us ahead to report the situation."_

"Sent you ahead? Colonel, what ship are you on?" Landry asked in a confused tone.

With a small smile, Davidson replied, _"The _O'Neill_-class Asgard Warship, the _Clausus Cursor_."_

"They gave us a ship?" Landry said, completely caught off guard.

"_It's more than that, General. Didn't you get our data package?"_

Landry looked to Walter who worked his terminal then shook his head. "Apparently not."

"_Alright, we'll send it again. Consider it a… preliminary debriefing on the situation since we dropped out of contact sixty-eight days ago. I think you'll find it to be quite the read. I'm also sending you what technical schematics we have access to. We'll be back in orbit in roughly twenty-two hours with a ship for the techs to start working on. The Asgard didn't fully upgrade the _Cursor_ before they gave her to us. She's still more resilient than a 304, but she doesn't have the weapons the _Odyssey_ does, and, trust me, that'll be your favorite part of the report."_

As another terminal beeped to indicate that the packets had been received, Landry dismissed Davidson and went back to his office to read the new reports. The first page alone made it clear that this was going to be a life-changing read.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P3X-727 (Orbit)**

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Computer Core)*

Organizing one's subconscious mind took time. When your subconscious was full of millions of years of useless information, the process mostly consisted of determining the worth of the information, organizing it, cataloging it, and deleting what's not worth keeping. Checking the ship's chronometer, Widget noted that it had taken him longer this time than it had taken the last time. That was to be expected. He used to do this as part of a routine established every galactic standard year. It had been significantly longer than that since his last Purge.

Shaking off the fog of being out of the loop for so long, Widget expanded his mind out of his confinement and let the electrical impulses of the ship's power grid feed power to his mind. The bank of servers in the heart of the _Nex_ turned back on after having been shut down for the duration of the Purge. The heat levels in the Server Room shot through the roof as the city of towers came online. Once his mind was 'warmed up,' Widget opened the door that led out of his core programming and back into his 'body.'

The ship was, as he very well expected, in a bad state. Only half of the list left behind for the organic had been started, none of the projects had been finished, and… there were new life-signs onboard.

Appearing as a hologram in the Engine Room of the ship, Widget asked, _"What did I miss?"_

"The Ori came back," Sieon replied casually before asking, "How was the Purge?" as he worked at a consul.

"_Where did that ship come from?"_ Widget countered as he finished checking over the ship and found a small, frigate-type vessel docked in one of the main hangar bays. _"What did you do!?"_

With an annoyed sigh, Sieon looked up from his work on the terminal before him and said, "I did what needed to be done."

"_You're a horrible liar,"_ Widget replied as he checked the ship's logs. _"You hacked their systems?"_ he asked incredulously. _"And why, dare I ask, did you do that?"_

"They have an Asgard Computer Core. I wanted answers," the organic replied with a shrug.

"_It was given to them!"_ the AI roared in accusation. _"Can't you read?"_

"I did read it…" the organic began.

"_Then why are they locked in the Brig?!"_ the AI shouted. There was no answer to that, so Widget did as his programming mandated.

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Brig)*

The Brig was a large, dark chamber on the outer-most edge of the ship. Just to add to the overall depressing aura of the room were the uncomfortably small and foul smelling cells, and the fact that the only light in the room came from the six crackling energy fields surrounding their unfortunate victims, and if **that's** not enough to make your hair stand on end, the room is literally the first thing beneath the armor which means that, if the armor ever failed, you're the first to die.

The only heat entering the room came from your own body and the residual heat from the ship's inner sections seeping through the thick inner hull. The combination is just enough to stave off hyperthermia and frostbite, but leaves you very, very cold. Touching the containment fields proved to be unwise as they were all electrified. The room grew a little brighter as all six inhabitants were scanned with powerful sensors that analyzed them down to their ancestral DNA codons, not that they knew that.

"Carter?" Jack asked.

"What makes you think I know?" Sam snapped back, her exhaustion combined with their new situation only made her temper even worse. "Sorry, sir," she added a few seconds later. "It's most likely a scanner of some sort."

There was a horrendous groaning sound and the ship shook, followed closely by a gut-wrenching jerk that actually made Daniel throw up. "Sounds like the old gal's in pretty bad shape," Jack said mockingly.

"'Pretty bad shape?' Are we talking about the same ship that just destroyed two Ori Motherships without breaking a sweat?" Mitchell asked as he continued to nurse his broken fingers.

"Touché," Jack said after a slight pause.

"What the hell was that?" Vala asked, picking herself up off of the floor.

"It would appear that the inertial dampeners are not correctly calibrated," Teal'c mumbled.

"I thought we left all that behind us when we fixed the _Odyssey_!" Jack complained. "This is bad isn't it?"

Sam opened her mouth to respond, but what she had to say they would never know. At that moment, the rest of SG-1 could only look on in horror as their teammate disappeared in a flash of white light. "CARTER!" Jack yelled as her containment field shut off, darkening the room even further and adding to the depressing air. A split second later, they all disappeared to parts unknown.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (En Route)**

*_Clausus Cursor_ (Combat Information Center)*

'_There's no place like home,'_ Colonel Ian Davidson, commander of the _USS_ _Odyssey_ and acting commander of the Asgard Warship the _Clausus Cursor_, thought to himself. After two months of a lack of sleep brought on by demanding situations, Davidson found himself wishing for one of the SGC's very uncomfortable bunks and solid concrete walls around him. **Anything** other than the hard metal of spaceships, the black of space, and the blue tunnel of sub-space.

However, his sense of peace was cut short when Marks announced that they were finally dropping out of hyperspace… only to find three Ori Motherships coming into sensors' range from behind the moon.

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! CAN WE PLEASE GET A GODDAMNED BREAK?!" Marisa, one of the crewwomen, shouted at the approaching enemy.

Davidson didn't waste time scolding her for being so unprofessional. He was immediately in battle mode. "Raise shields, arm weapons, get us between them and the planet, and get me a channel to Generals Hammond and Landry."

The crew's military training kicked into overdrive as everyone rushed to carry out his orders. The problem was, not all of them knew how to operate the Asgard's consuls, and so the eight who did found themselves in the uncomfortable position of running a ship in a situation that called for a full crew. Nevertheless, they did their best.

After running into a couple of people who were standing in the way, Marks finally got fed-up and shouted, "If you can't work an Asgard consul get off of the Bridge!"

There was a moment's pause before Davidson added, "If you're in the way you're a liability that I will **not** tolerate! Either get off the Bridge or get off my ship!"

"_Colonel Davidson!"_ General Hammond said, startling the Colonel who hadn't realized the comms channel was live. _"Colonel Davidson!"_

"Colonel Davidson!" Ian could feel the cloud of groggy half-sleep leaving his mind. Opening his eyes he found himself sitting in his command chair in the Combat Information Center of the _Clausus Cursor_. Suppressing a yawn, Ian looked around and found it was Marks who was calling his name.

"What is it, Major?" Davidson asked while stretching his sore body.

"General Hammond is on the line, sir. He's requesting that you meet with both General Landry and himself in the SGC's Briefing Room in five minutes," Marks replied professionally.

"Five minutes?" Ian asked, thoroughly confused. Movement beyond Marks' head caught his attention. Looking out the forward viewport, Colonel Davidson saw a spinning landscape. The dark void of space was changing into a wondrous sight as the _O'Neill_-class Warship moved into position to take up geosynchronous orbit of the little-blue-ball-of-a-planet they all called home; the planet Earth in all her beauty. "When did we get back?" Davidson asked in surprise.

"We arrived in system about two-and-a-half hours ago. We were ordered by Homeworld Security to hold position in orbit over Mars until the sun set over Area 51. They'll be launching a series of shuttle craft up to orbit with supplies for the upgrade teams," Marks informed him.

"Why not just beam the supplies up?" Davidson asked.

"It would appear that, when the jamming field was lowered to allow the Asgard to beam up the supplies they needed to repair the _Odyssey_, an energy signature from a Naquadah Generator escaped the facility and made the news. People have always thought that Area 51 is the site of research into alien technology. After the signal was discovered, interest in the area was rejuvenated. There's too many reporters and geeks with equipment around to risk lowering the jamming field again."

"Makes since," Davidson mused. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"Since they never actually asked for you, we figured we'd let you sleep. We all knew you needed it and the rest of the crew agreed it was best." At this, the rest of the CIC crew all nodded their approval and Marks went on. "We just made orbit so you haven't missed anything other than General Hammond calling."

"Thank you, Major. If you could give me ship-wide, I'd much appreciate it." After pressing a few buttons, Marks nodded to indicate he was ready. "Ladies and gentlemen, people of this crew… after weeks of struggle and the loss of some very good men and women from our family in the stars, we are finally home. As it stands, the bodies of the deceased will be returning with the _Odyssey_ and their funerals will be planned by either the military, or their families. You will have your time to pay your respects, but right now, there are still a few things we have left to do.

"Homeworld Command needs to know what's happened to us, so expect debriefings by both them, and the IOA since they're bound to stick their collective noses where they don't belong. Now, I trust General O'Neill to bring the _Odyssey_ back in one piece with the bodies of those we lost. That also means I want you all to get as much leave time as you can before he returns. I know it's been hard, but once the good General gets back with our ship, we'll be back on the frontlines.

"We all know that the Ori won't take a break, so we can't afford to either. Thank you all for your courage, your determination, your unfaltering resolve, and your will to go on. For these reasons, we made it home in one piece. I am truly honored to serve as this crew's commanding officer. You truly are the best of the best."

"Until you compare us to the rest," Donnelly piped in. His jib earned him a round of laughter from the crew and Davidson smiled. Their spirits weren't broken yet. That was good.

"Well said, Colonel, and good luck," Marks said before beaming the Colonel down into the waiting hands of two of the most powerful Generals in the entire galaxy.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P3X-727 (Orbit)**

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Auxiliary Bio-Lab)*

When Sam rematerialized, she noted that she was strapped to a bed in what looked like a hospital. She immediately started struggling against her bonds, and looked down. Her wrists and ankles were being held in place by thick metal bands that were held down by a powerful magnetic field in the table. She screamed in frustration until the room got a little brighter. She looked up and found herself looking at a strange looking alien. It had a Human-like face with two eyes, hair, a nose, facial hair even… but it only had three fingers on its hands and its muscular structure obviously wasn't Human.

"_Please stop screaming,"_ the alien said in a tone that was sad. There was a bit of crackle to its voice though and Sam couldn't place why a voice would crackle. She looked at the alien and blinked, lying still half way between panicking and passing out. _"I know you're confused, and I'm sorry that you're in this position. My name is Widget, and I promise you I won't hurt you."_

"Okay," Sam replied meekly.

"_Wow, you actually stopped screaming,"_ the alien said with a soft smile. _"Did you do it because you're shocked, or because I asked?"_

Sam just looked at the alien for a moment. _'He's weird,'_ she thought to herself. "You asked," Sam finally replied.

"_Oh, I like you!"_ Widget said happily. _"Most people just scream louder when you ask them to stop. Oh, and sorry about the restraints,"_ the alien continued as, with a click, the metal bands opened to allow her to pull her body free of them. _"I know how I'd feel being transported from a prison cell to a laboratory, but the medical facilities were damaged a few days ago and I haven't gotten them repaired yet,"_ the alien continued, a thumb cast over a shoulder presumably in the direction of the medical facilities.

"Why are we prisoners?" Sam asked as she sat up… only to feel very light headed.

"_Yeah… sorry about that, my CO's a bit of a douchebag. In fact, he's the doucheiest douchebag who ever douched,"_ the alien said then stopped as if he were thinking about something. _"Is that right?"_ he asked the room at large. Sam looked around, realized they were alone, and became even more confused. _"Sorry,"_ the alien apologized again, _"I'm still getting used to your language. I'm not even sure what a 'douchebag' is, I just know that you Humans use it as an insult in some capacity."_

"Sadly enough, that puts you in the same category as most of the people who use the word," Sam mumbled darkly. "A douchebag is a textured balloon filled with water that's placed inside of the female reproductive organ and used to 'scrub it clean'," Sam explained without really understanding why she would tell the alien that.

"_Ah, I see how that's insulting then,"_ the alien said with a smile. _"You've been separated from your fellow Humans, but I assure you that it's not because I'm going to stick a needle in you… unless I need to. Your physiological makeup isn't designed to handle the stresses you're currently under. If you don't sleep for more than twelve of your 'hours',"_ the alien explained with quotes around the word, _"your body will begin to shutdown. I brought you here so that, should it be necessary, I can give you a sedative to help you sleep."_

"You're brought me here to sleep?" Sam asked.

"_It's either that, or you'll die from exhaustion,"_ the alien replied with a shrug. _"It's your choice, but I advise you to just lay down and rest. After you wake up and you can think clearly, then you can decide whether or not you want to continue living. Contemplating suicide is best done with a clear head which you do not have right now."_

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Living Quarters)*

When Mitchell suddenly appeared in the room with them, a bandage wrapped around his broken knuckles, Jack asked, "Where's Sam?"

"I don't know, sir," Cam replied as he flexed his hand. "One of the aliens told me I was in a medical lab because their infirmary was destroyed by the blast that created the supernova. They patched me up, said that Sam was being treated for her 'medical ailments,' and sent me here."

"What medical ailments?" Jack asked.

"They were here when the supernova formed?!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Sam hasn't slept properly right in weeks, sir. She's exhausted and apparently even the aliens know it. All I got out of the guy was that they were taking care of her," Cam replied before turning to Daniel. "The alien said, and I quote, 'When you can harness the power of a star, surviving one becomes easy.' Apparently, while capable of surviving one supernova, the ship can't survive two. The star native to the system was destabilized by the detonation of the Ori Mothership's core so they jumped the ship into FTL before the repairs were finished to escape the second blast. That was the disorientation from earlier.

"Aside from that," Cam quickly cut off the barrage of questions, "I don't know anything."

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Briefing Room) [an hour and a half later]*

"That's quite the story, Colonel," General Hammond said.

"You've been on your feet for a long time, Ian. You and the rest of the _Odyssey_'s crew are being given at least a week of leave, if not longer, barring any serious emergency. I want you well rested, so go hit the showers and **go home**. We'll deal with the Colonials' pilots and this 'Admiral' of yours," Hammond ordered.

"Thank you, sir. I know the crew deserves it. They've been through a hell of a lot and come out relatively unscathed, though we did lose more people than I would've liked. Thank you again, I'll be on my way." Davidson left the Briefing Room and headed straight for the Mess Hall, he was starving and needed food before he worried about showering.

The two Generals left in the room got up and walked into Landry's office. Sitting behind his desk, the General let out a deep sigh and turned to his elder. General Hammond just shook his head in disbelief as he sat across from him, the door shut behind him. "Robots," Hammond said. "This poses a serious threat to galactic stability."

"How so?" Landry asked. "They're not as advanced as the Replicators."

"That doesn't matter," Hammond replied. "The Jaffa don't know to fight in the realm of cyberwarfare and if the Cylons hack their computers we'll have another super-powerful AI race on the loose. The last thing we need on top of the Ori is a race hell-bent on the genocide of the Human species as a whole. The Jaffa will be seen as a perversion of nature and a threat, and the Cylons will only need one of those two as an excuse to destroy them."

"Another enemy with which to do war," Landry said with a sigh. "Just what we need right now. At least we've finally got a good tech base to use."

"We may be getting stronger, but our enemies are growing in number and we still only have three ships, one of which isn't finished yet, one of which is **still** missing, and the third of which is needed in another galaxy," Hammond countered with a sigh. "This is bad, Hank. We're…" Hammond stopped speaking as a flashing light caught his attention. "… Being hailed," he finished.

General Landry shook his head at the timing of it all and pressed the button that secured his office. The doors were magnetically sealed, an extra jamming field came online, and the windows were covered by a holographic projection that would show an empty office if anyone looked inside. Only then did a burst of light illuminate the room and deposit a figure before them.

"Colonel," General Hammond said in greeting.

"Sir," a distorted voice replied as the figure snapped off a salute.

"At ease, Colonel. What do you need?" Landry asked.

Taking the time to remove the helmet from his head, Colonel Ry pressed a few buttons on his armor. A second later, the small projector built into the wall of Landry's office activated to show a schematic for a Ha'tak that went against all known designs. "We have discovered the location of the Goa'uld known as Ptah."

"The one who invented the Ha'tak?" Hammond asked. "Where did you find him?"

"During our mission to retrieve the designs for the planetary defense shield. It would appear that the Goa'uld had found a world with an Ancient research lab and used its knowledge to copy their designs."

"That explains a lot," Landry mused.

"Like how they lived long enough to develop a technology like that," Hammond agreed. "They just stole it from the Ancients."

"It also explains the vessels in orbit," Ry brought the conversation back to the projection before them. "These Ha'tak, with a three-to-one ratio against their favor, defeated a fleet of Ba'al Refits. According to John, Ptah harbors ill contempt for the Tau'ri. He rightfully blames us for the death of Ra, and mistakenly credits us with the defeat of Sokar. Since Apep was defeated by Anubis so long ago, those two have been his only friends and allies. It could possibly explain how Sokar had a fleet of Ha'tak with cloaking devices."

"It would also explain the flagship that Apophis fielded with them," Hammond agreed with a nod. "If Sokar used his influence as Ptah's last ally, it would make sense that he would have the most advanced ships outside of Anubis' ascended knowledge."

"What type of threat is he?" Landry asked.

"As far as we could tell, he had but one ship left when we finished our mission. While this was his flagship, it would appear that it was not yet complete. We have reason to believe it is still on the planet in question, but we do not have the forces to capture it," Ry replied.

"We already have Ba'al's newest flagship, I don't think we're going to need another, not with what we just got from the Asgard," Landry said.

"Can you destroy it?" General Hammond asked.

"Not with the forces we have," Ry repeated. "During the assault on Memphis, we suffered several casualties. Niptahkau trained his men well, and the Ta-tanen are not easily put down," Ry replied as the holographic display shifted to show a new weapon. "They use plasma caster weapons designed to mimic the standard rifles carried by our off-world teams. They have proven to have competent snipers as well. Their armor has likewise been modified to serve a purpose beyond ceremonial needs and simple intimidation. Several of the more elite soldiers are known to have personal shields and cloaking devices as well, and Ptah has kept himself well informed as to the going-ons of the galaxy.

"Our own forces are still conducting repairs to those vessels which were damaged during the orbital battle. Several the suits of personal armor were also damaged and are undergoing repair as well. There is also the matter of weapons maintenance and upgrading what can be upgraded. I have been advised against making any plans involving ships for the next month by the personnel manning the shipyards."

"So there's a Goa'uld out there who's serious enough about destroying us that's he's putting everything he has into making his individual soldiers better," Landry said with a huff. "And you thought the Cylons were bad."

"The Cylons **are** bad," Hammond replied sternly. "This is just another enemy added to the list."

"If I may ask, what is a Cylon?" Ry interrupted them.

General Landry shook his head at that question. "I'll forward you a copy of Colonel Davidson's report on what the _Odyssey_'s been through in the past two months."

"Then the ship has been found?" Ry asked.

"It's a long story," Hammond replied.


	25. The Second Race

Chapter 24

The Second Race

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Satellite's Projected Course)**

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Living Quarters)*

The door to their room slid open after having been sealed shut for so long. The assembled Humans and Jaffa all turned to the door that now looked out into a small entranceway like an airlock. With a quiet 'swoosh' another door opened within that entranceway and a series of racks folded out of the small closet within. On the racks were their weapons, armor, grenades, and extra ammo as well as anything else they had been wearing when they were beamed into the ship's Brig.

"That's just a bit convenient, don't you think?" Vala asked.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied as he, nevertheless, stepped forward, grabbed his gear, and loaded a clip into one of the pistols on the rack.

The others, not sensing any danger in doing so, grabbed their gear as well. As Cameron finished strapping the last of his gear onto his vest, the outer door in the 'airlock' opened into the ship at large. Cam stepped out and the lights immediately started shutting off until only a single pathway was clearly illuminated. "It's your call, boss," Cam said while looking at O'Neill.

"Let's see what they want," Jack replied as he stepped into the hall after Cam. Normally Jack would ask why the Lieutenant-Colonel had worn a full combat load out while aboard the _Odyssey_, but now it meant that he, unlike the others, still had his P-90 as opposed to just a side-arm.

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Auxiliary Bio-Lab)*

"_Feeling any better?"_ Widget asked, a small smile on his face as Sam opened her eyes. Sam answered his question by grabbing the heaviest object in her reach and hurling it at the alien's head. To her surprise, the object passed through his body with a clunk as it hit the far wall. _"You hurt my feelings,"_ Widget in a disappointed tone, that weird crackling sound still present in his voice.

"What are you?" Sam asked.

"_Why did you do that?"_ Widget countered. The two just sat there, staring at each other, as both tried to figure out the other. _"Okay, I get it, you don't trust me, but I'm trying to help!"_ the alien argued as Sam got up and ran for the door. She was, once again, surprised when the door actually opened when she hit the button next to it. Her third surprise came when Widget was already standing out in the hall waiting for her. _"Can we be civil about this?"_ he asked in a disappointed tone.

Sam turned and looked back into the room she had ran out of and saw the alien still standing there. He waved at her as if to say, 'Yeah, it's real.'

"What are you?" Sam asked again.

"_My name is Wid'getchro'monsure, so I'm sure you can understand why people call me 'Widget',"_ he replied with a smile. _"As for __**what**__ I am… well, we've met before, Colonel Carter, you just haven't realized it yet. The answer is, quite literally, standing right in front of you."_

Sam stood there, thinking it over. She analyzed everything until it all made sense. Then her eyes widened in shock. "You're the AI!" she exclaimed.

"_Bravo!"_ Widget applauded. Logically Sam knew that his holographic hands weren't making any noise as he brought them together, but the sound still appeared to be coming from him. Then again, the Asgard had similar technology so it wasn't that surprising. _"What's the first question that comes to mind?"_ the AI asked her excitedly.

"What do you want?" Sam asked.

"_To take you back to your people!"_ the AI replied with that same enthusiasm. _"Regrettably, I'm currently in the process of repairing the internal transportation system,"_ Widget replied while looking off into the distance. Sam assumed he was monitoring multiple systems at once and that the system in question was off in that direction. _"The rapid cargo transit stations are still working, though, so we can use them. I'll take you to the CIC and introduce you to my CO. He can fill you in on things that I'm not authorized to speak of."_ When Sam just stood there, not moving, the AI sighed and snapped his fingers. A holographic screen appeared beside him showing what had to be a camera feed. _"They're perfectly fine and on their way to the same place we are. Regrettably, the speakers and projectors in that area are damaged so I can't speak to them. I'm guiding them around by turning off the lights in the areas I don't want them to be in. Primitive, I know, but at least it's working. So, will you follow me now?"_

"Where's my radio?" Sam asked as she noticed that the others had their gear.

"_It was stored with the rest of the equipment taken from you. I believe __that one__ is wearing your vest,"_ Widget replied while zooming in on Jack. _"Can we please start moving? The sooner the six of you are back together the sooner they'll stop thinking you're dead."_

"Why do they think I'm dead?" Sam asked in a worried tone.

"_Because they haven't seen you in twelve and a half hours,"_ the AI replied calmly.

"Fine," Sam relented.

"_Finally!"_ Widget exclaimed in that same, entirely too happy tone as he led the way. After a few minutes of silence, he said, _"You can ask me anything you want to. As long as you have the clearance for it, I'll answer your questions."_

As an AI, he loved giving her permission to ask questions. Sam was not only curious, she was also smart enough to hold a conversation with the AI. As a person, his personality matrix was slightly annoyed by the onslaught of questions. Sometimes the AI in him really hated the organic in him.

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Unknown Hallway)*

"Another long corridor," Mitchell said with a huff as they turned a corner and started down another extremely long hallway. "All this walking is getting on my nerves. If the goal is to wear us out before we get to where we're going, they're winning."

"Quiet, Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c ordered, holding up a hand to quiet the whole group.

"I hear it too," Jack said as they neared the far end of the hallway. They reached the doorframe to the next part of the ship and all they could see through the darkness was a massive tunnel running perpendicular to the hallway they were in. Across the massive gap was another docking station just like the one they were standing at. The whole setup reminded him of the subways on Earth. "Wow," Jack said as he took in the massive tunnel.

A second later, a bright light appeared in the distance. Not even two seconds later, a train came barreling into what had to be a loading station and silently slid to a halt. The doors hissed open and SG-1 stacked up, ready to storm the train and take it by force. Inside of the train, they could hear voices. Straining his ears, Jack could make out the sounds of a conversation as what sounded like two people sat on the train chatting. A male voice was speaking clear English saying something about wormholes and FTL drives. The technological lingo was lost on the General as he eased around the corner.

Then he heard a female voice respond. A female voice he was quite familiar with. "I'm still wrapping my head around the concept of a ship like this being powered by only four generators. The Asgard only use four, sure, but their ships are a fraction of the size of this one!" Sam's voice said, truly baffled.

With a smile in its tones and a crackle in its voice, the male replied. _"Well, when you can harness the power of a star, you can do a lot with a little."_

A burst of light lit up the train and Jack and the others ducked into cover. Looking around the low wall he was crouched behind, Jack could see Sam and an unknown man standing by a holographic image of the ship, five large spheres highlighted in its design.

"_At the center of the ship is the CIC, that's this sphere,"_ the man explained as the central sphere was highlighted. _"The other four spheres are the power cores. Each one holds a protostar in a containment field. The sphere itself is made of special, radiation absorbent, semi-organic material that actually takes the energy being forced into it by the radiation of the protostar and uses it as a source of power. We also harness the thermal energy, photonic energy, photoelectric energy, and our weapons derive their plasma from the star's mass."_

"What?" Sam asked. The way she sounded, so curious and full of life, had Jack sighing in relief. She sounded a lot better.

"_Our plasma cannons are ancient, and I do mean __**ANCIENT**__! We built them before Humans had brains capable of contemplating the fact that they were living creatures, and, yes, I'm exaggerating that by more than a small margin. Needless to say, there have been advances since their conception,"_ the man said with a small chuckle. _"The Asgard, for example, use flash-forged plasma in their cannons. We just use the plasma already made available by the protostars to eliminate the need. It also helps keep the protostars stable. If they start destabilizing, we can channel plasma from one to another or eject it into space in the form of a weapon."_

"Why not upgrade then?" Sam asked.

"_This ship has been in stasis for more than… uh… I think it would be around three-million years in keeping with your standards of chronological recording intervals. At any rate, if you would like to, General, you can come and join us."_

Sam looked up at his words as Jack and the others stormed around the corner. Jack's borrowed weapon was snapped up in an instant as he sighted down the barrel and took aim. "Sam," Jack half-asked.

"Don't bother," Sam replied before kicking her leg out. Her foot passed through the man's leg and his whole body shimmered as a result. "It's a hologram."

Jack slowly lowered his pistol and eyed the alien. "What's going on here?" Jack asked.

"_If you take a seat, I'll gladly explain,"_ the alien said while motioning to the empty seats that lined the train's walls.

Before he could begin, however, Sam asked, "How fast does this train move?"

"_Let's see,"_ the alien mused. _"Humans measure speed as distance traveled over a unit of time so… how long would you say this ship is from stem to stern?"_

"Ten kilometers," Sam replied.

"_So the ship is divided into ten equal sections?"_ the alien asked to which Sam nodded. _"Then we can traverse each section in ten… uh, you call them seconds so that puts us at one kilometer per ten seconds?"_

"Yes, but you want the time variable to be 'one,' so you'd change the distance to either a decimal or a lesser value. Instead of one kilometer per ten seconds, we would say point-zero-one kilometers per second, one-hundredth of a kilometer per second, or one-hundred meters per second," Sam explained.

"You're **teaching** him?" Jack asked, more than a little confused as to why Sam would be discussing things like this when they were clearly being held prisoner.

"He's actually not that bad," Sam replied casually.

"Carter… we're being held against our will," Jack stressed.

"_Only because Sieon's a militaristic asshole,"_ the alien snarked. _"Here's how that plaid out,"_ he continued as the train took off. It didn't even take a full second to reach its top speed and the dampeners on the train made the ride very smooth. _"He picks up the Asgard Computer Core on your ship while I'm busy overseeing the repairs and decides to hack your systems instead of opening a communications channel. I think his brain is broken to be honest. Military natured or not, you don't piss off the First Race by hacking their computers, and, by extension, attacking their allies. The Asgard wouldn't stand for that. You know…"_

"The First Race?" Daniel asked. "Why are the Asgard the First Race?"

"_The Asgard were the ones who proposed the alliance between their race and the Furlings during the war with the Nox. Because of that, the Asgard are the First Race and the Furlings are the Second Race. Sometime during the war, the Alterans came in and brokered the peace treaty so they're the Third Race and the Nox are the Fourth with the Tau'ri being the Fifth."_

"Wait, you know who the Furlings are?" Vala asked.

Once again, Widget was torn between his computerized personality and his organic one. He really needed to delete that other half, but that's where his morals were so he wasn't allowed to. Damned organics! _"Of course I do. I am one."_

"You were at war with the Nox?!" Daniel all but shouted. The news of the being before them being a Furling wasn't even that hard to believe. Only one of the Great Races could've taken on the Ori like that and won.

There was another smooth applications of brakes as the train came to a stop and everyone disembarked in the wake of their guide. They followed the holographic image of the Furling as it led them through the ship. _"They weren't always pacifists,"_ Widget replied with a look of shame on his face. _"But that's a part of our history that no one likes talking about."_

"You can't drop a bombshell like that then refuse to tell us what happened!" Daniel protested.

"_Actually, I'd be happy to explain it to you in full, but we've arrived at the CIC,"_ Widget countered.

Jack was just about to say that a dead-end hallway was hardly a Combat Information Center. Then the wall split apart before them and revealed a large, domed chamber with a chair in the center of it like the one in Antarctica, but obviously not Ancient by design. The smooth, featureless walls were covered in displays, all of them holographic and all of them hovering over a control station. There had to be twenty stations equally spaced around the room, and, at one of them, there stood a figure that matched their guide to the very last strand of holographic hair.

Sieon was busy fixing another downed system, Widget standing behind him complaining about the lack of resources they had, when he heard the doors to the CIC open. He wiggled his way out from being waist-deep in the guts of a computer and took in the six figures standing at the doors to his domain.

Sieon grit his teeth and tried not to growl at the intrusion before rounding on the AI. "You could have told me you were bringing them here," Sieon said in his native tongue.

"_Why? So that you could order me to not to?"_ Widget shot back, clearly angry.

"There's two of you," Vala noted as she took in the man and his double.

"It's a hologram, Vala, there has to be an original," Daniel replied.

"Not exactly," Sam added in a tone that said she wasn't sure how to explain this one. When the alien standing before them and the one standing across the room spoke at the same time, both of them saying different things in different languages, it made it a bit easier. "He's actually just a holographic representation of the ship's AI. There could be a hundred of him without there ever being a physical form."

"_Technically the ship __**is**__ my physical form,"_ Widget replied while glaring at the other him arguing with the man at the far end of the room.

"It doesn't sound good," Sam pointed out.

Widget laughed at her statement then spoke an angry sounding sentence in his native language. He then asked, _"Would you believe me if I told you that I had just said you have pleasingly pigmented ocular receptors?"_

"What?" Vala asked.

"He complimented her eyes," the alien said from across the room as he walked over. "As it has been **thoroughly** explained to me…" the alien said while glaring at the AI standing behind him. Apparently there was some difference between the two avatars the others couldn't see. "I owe you all an apology. I… had friends amongst the Asgard. To know they're gone is depressing, to say the least, and I'm not exactly the trusting type either. I had it in my head that you stole the Core from them. No matter how ridiculous that may seem now, I'm known to be a bit hardheaded."

"_By 'a bit' he means he was voted the most hardheaded asshole of the year three years in a row,"_ Widget added with small smile, his double dissolving into nothingness across the room.

"That's not a real thing," Sieon assured them with a roll of his eyes.

"Aliens do that too?" Vala asked Daniel at a whisper. Daniel just shrugged in reply.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here so… where should I start?" Sieon asked.

"Why did you abduct us?" Jack asked, obviously more than a little pissed.

"Like I said, I had it in my head that you had stolen the Core," Sieon replied simply.

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center) [a few hours later]*

"_As unnecessary as it may be, I advise you to avoid any further forceful impacts with structures more durable than yourself until __**after**__ you've increased the rigidity of your corporeal form,"_ Widget finished with a shit-eating grin as a small medical droid finished unwrapping his hand.

Cameron resisted the urge to roll his eyes and flexed his fully healed fingers before thanking the AI. The first half hour of their conversation with a real, living Furling was full of apologies and minor explanations. After that, Sieon was given a thorough briefing on Earth and the final bits of information they had on the Asgard. He was understandably interested in the species the Asgard had seen fit to give the title of the Fifth Race. Now they were getting geared up for the part that Cam had been waiting for since they got to the CIC.

"Well, you know us well enough now, so what's your story?" Daniel asked.

Sieon let out a sarcastic huff and sat back in his chair. "My childhood, I assure you, is a thoroughly riveting tale of lackluster love and infuriation. I was the first born son of two, but I wasn't anything special. No, it was my brother that got all of the attention. You see, I was born normal, but Widget? He was exposed to a very powerful, arguably rare element while still in the womb. As a result, he was born with telekinetic powers. I know it sounds petty…" Sieon began before Sam cut him off.

"Does that mean that your AI is named after your brother?" Sam asked.

"_Yes,"_ Widget replied with a glare at the Furling, _"and it sucks because I'm expected to be something I'm not."_

"How so?" Teal'c asked.

"_I'm a computer,"_ Widget replied. _"Having a computerized mind makes me love learning. Being an AI means I have a perfect memory and can learn anything I want to. Having a half-organic mind pisses me off because organics find learning to be tiresome and annoying. It's like having a three year old child sitting behind you constantly complaining. 'Are we done yet?' 'Can't we do something else?' 'I'm bored.' It's the most annoying thing in the world!"_

"It's also where his moral values and personality are generated. While he is capable of being, and mostly likely is, radically different from what my brother would be like if he were still alive, his base traits, appearance, morals, and sense of humor are largely influenced by that base coding which was generated by scanning an organic mind and emphasizing the traits we wanted the AIs to have," Sieon added. "In his case, Widget was generated from a scan of my memories of my brother."

"_Now, back to him being petty,"_ Widget said, apparently over his anger at having a hybrid mind.

"Right," Sieon agreed. "Widget was born with the ability to manipulate dark matter. This would eventually become known as biotics. Widget studied under Konahrik, the Great War Lord and possibly the oldest living being in known history… his story is one for another time and is filled with a lot of speculation, rumors, and myths. He was a bit enigmatic and a lot of people didn't believe he was real. If I hadn't of met the man, I would've been one of them, but I'm getting off topic.

"Krosis, the greatest medical mind in our race's history, developed a gene therapy that strengthened the body against the Sickness. The Sickness would eventually become known as… uh… how does that translate into their language?" Sieon asked the AI that was everywhere at once. His attention was obviously not all 'here' as Sieon had to ask the question again after getting the AI's attention.

"_Sorry, I was tending to… never mind. Host Versus Eezo would be the most adequate comparison."_

"What's 'eezo'?" Jack asked.

"_Element Zero,"_ Widget replied.

"What's 'element zero'?" Sam added.

"_It's an element with an atomic mass of zero, hence the name, and, when exposed to an electrical charge, the element emits a field of energy that actually alters mass within the localized field of space-time. A positive charge increases mass, while a negative charge reduces mass. Using a mass reduction field, we were able to lessen the mass of our ships enough to accelerate them to Faster Than Light speeds using our sub-light engines. The problem was, this form of FTL built up a powerful electrical charge that would kill everyone aboard a ship if it became too great for us to contain. We had to discharge the drive core every few hours or days depending on the class of ship, so the larger the ship the quicker the charge built up. Due to this fact, it was only good for trips between planets within the same nebula or cluster while the FTL Gravity Cannons were our primary form of getting from one cluster, nebula, or area of the galaxy to another."_

"The what?" Daniel asked.

"Okay, new rule," Sieon said in a tone of minor frustration. "I'll answer all of your questions, I promise, but that's another story into and of itself. Let's finish the first one then move to the next, shall we?" When there were no objections, he continued. "Biotics eventually became a trait of our race. It was useful in tedious labor as a strength enhancer, allowed people to lift heavier objects, and, when applied on a weaponized scale, allowed for a person to manipulate dark matter with their minds with lethal effects. Observe," Sieon said before his body started glowing.

The light that surrounded him coalesced into a ball in the palm of his hand and started swirling. The gravity in the room shifted as the Singularity pulled them all in. Then Sieon let the glow fade out and gravity went back to normal. "Being able to suspend your targets in the air makes them easy prey, crushing them in high gravity fields is useful, tearing them apart on the molecular level is an effective way to kill just about anything, and stopping bullets with your mind helps keep you alive."

Cameron took in the spectacle and looked over to Jack who simply shook his head in reply to the unasked question. Things had just gotten worse for them. If the Furling did turn out to be hostile, they would be fitting something as powerful as a Prior, but without the anti-prior device.

"That just about sums up the bulk of my childhood. When I was a 'teenager,' as your people would say, my parents basically left me to do whatever I wanted and there was a time when I was a troublemaker. That didn't get me the type of recognition I wanted so I moved on. I devoted myself to my studies, and, eventually, gained the notice of the Scourge…"

"What's a 'Scourge'?" Cam asked curiously.

"Right, that term doesn't translate in your language…" Sieon mumbled. "What's the highest rank in your military's chain of command?"

"A Lieutenant-General," Mitchell replied.

"No, the General of the Air Force out ranks all other Generals, buts the Commander and Chief is still the highest authority," Jack corrected.

"The Commander and Chief has the first and last say in all military decisions?" Sieon asked.

"Well, not exactly. The Commander and Chief is the only person who can declare a state of war, but he's also the president of the country," Sam explained.

"_Politicians have no place in a war,"_ Widget said with a shake of his head.

Thinking it over for a moment, Sieon clarified, "Okay, then it's like the Commander and Chief, a General, and an Admiral all rolled into one. The Scourge is the military's law. He has the first and last say in all military decisions. Once elected, he both declares war, and fights in the wars he declares. His job is to bring as many people home safe as is possible. He decides which planets to attack and which to utterly destroy. The only power higher than his or her own, is a unanimous vote from the Grand Council, and the Grand Council's job is to negotiate peace so that the Scourge doesn't have a job to begin with. Typically, if a Scourge has been elected, the people feel that war is so inevitable that they've lost hope for a peaceful resolution."

"_Generally speaking, if the Grand Council failed to prevent the war, they tended to stay out of the way when the Scourge started wiping out entire fleets of parties with intentions hostile to our ways of life. Scourge Olaf One-Eye, for example, was allowed to render three entire star systems void of life after a group of hostile up-starters decided to take on the Furling Galactic Space Navy. The war lasted for only two weeks and ended in so decisive a victory that Olaf's war tactics became part of the standard military training all Furling tacticians went through before they were allowed to advise on their first battle,"_ Widget added to help clarify the extremes a Scourge was allowed to resort to.

"Sounds like a dictator," Daniel commented.

"In a way I was one, but the people elected me to be so. There is only one Scourge at any given time and he or she starts at the beginning of a war and quits at the end. A previous Scourge can run for re-election as many times as the people allow him or her to. Our job is to oversee to the survival of our people to the exclusion of all else," Sieon explained.

"It still doesn't sound right," Daniel countered.

"_Look at it this way. If the Scourge fails, the people are no longer alive to accuse them of war crimes. Should he or she succeed, however, their every decision is then subject to extreme review, questioning, and, should it be deemed necessary, punishment will be delivered in accordance to Furling High Law. During a war, however, a Scourge is hardly ever interfered with unless their military competence is being called into question,"_ Widget quickly elaborated.

"Take this ship for example," Sieon added. "I ordered this ship built as a command center for the Furling Galactic Space Navy. At the time of its completion, it was the largest and most advanced ship we had ever built and was decades ahead of anything else we had."

"_At that time,"_ Widget stressed. _"Furling technology is bound to have advanced since we went into seclusion on the world you found us on."_

"So you're the head of the military?" Mitchell asked.

"I **was** the head of the military," Sieon stressed. "The war I oversaw was known as the Fall of the Furlings. I fought my war and I won it… barely… kind of…" Sieon trailed off before refocusing and continuing. "As High Law dictates, I stepped down and the post was left vacant until it would be needed again. After that, I left politics because, once you've been a Scourge, you're banned from ever having a say in 'normal' political matters not pertaining to a war," Sieon replied.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Daniel asked, "So what is the story of the Fall of the Furlings?"

"That is a long and sad story. If you truly want to hear it, we must start at the beginning," Sieon said. "From the standards of the people of this universe, ours was a unique beginning. You see, our homeworld is not in this universe. No, the story of the Furlings begins in an alternate version of this galaxy on a planet called Glacialis. It had massive deposits of iron near the surface that were constantly struck by lightning storms. Because of this, our planet had four magnetic poles, all of them what you would call 'North Poles' with the planet's core being the only 'South Pole.' The large amounts of electromagnetic interference on the planet created problems with our early development of communications equipment.

"Rather than being driven apart and forced into war with neighboring continents, our minds evolved until we were able to hear the thoughts of those around us. The more Furlings there were connected in this way, the larger an area that could be covered. As such, we became a hive-minded species. One planet's population was a Hive, but was more commonly referred to as a Collective. This overcame the problem of communication and allowed our species to advance as one.

"After all, when one person has an idea in a Collective, everyone shares that idea. It gets passed around by a thousand minds, a thousand points of view all giving their opinions in an organized manner. By the time the idea's done being passed around, the bulk of the concerns are ironed out. Imagine if a healthcare professional and an engineer could understand each other perfectly. In such a world, the health risks of building a generator that emits radiation would be known by both the moment it was discovered…" Sieon began before being interrupted.

"_Explaining a hive-minded nature to people who have never experienced anything of the sort is nearly impossible,"_ Widget idly commented.

"I'm getting that you can read minds," Daniel said.

"I caught that too," Jack grumbled. "I assume that's how you know our language."

"You assume correctly," Sieon replied in a diplomatic tone. "Don't worry, General, I haven't gone digging around in your memories. As Widget says, you can't truly understand it, but the mind has layers to it. Your personal memories are stored deep within your mind. Your language skills, however, can be found in various layers due to how engraved it is in your very sense of self-being."

"Can we get back to the story now?" Vala asked, clearly unphased by the revelation that their minds were being probed. She had her phone out, undoubtedly taping this in an effort to sell it on the black market later. They'd have to confiscate her phone, but letting her record it would at least make debriefing Landry easier.

Sieon smiled at Daniel as a thought crossed the Human's mind. "I won't go digging in your head, Doctor Jackson. That would be rude. And besides, reading a Human's mind is like learning a new language… for you. For me learning a language is easy. Learning to read a new species mind, however, is as hard for me as learning Ancient would be for Vala."

"Clearly you know **something**," Sam countered.

"I had to," Sieon replied simply. "If I didn't learn your language, how would I explain that I mean no harm to the Fifth Race?"

"Story time!" Vala said again.

With a shrug, Sieon picked up where he left off. "Skipping forward a few thousand years to when we finally advanced to the point of space travel, we found a vast network of interstellar FTL stations that moved you like a massive gravity cannon big enough for entire fleets to pass through that only connected to one other gravity cannon. Because of this, we never actually needed a hyperdrive. In fact, we never developed the technology. Widget's already told you about our eezo cores and their method of FTL, but that method wasn't valid in this universe without the gravity cannons to get us over larger distances. So we got inventive.

"You all remember the rather ruff vibration a couple hours ago?" As everyone confirmed that they remembered, Sieon continued, "We didn't jump into hyperspace. Instead we essentially opened a rupture in space and…" as he noticed no one understood him he said, "It's like a Stargate, but minus the gate."

"In blatant terms it's a wormhole drive or the perfected version of a Colonial jump-drive," Sam clarified as she found herself being more and more impressed by this ship.

"Yeah, that," Sieon agreed before adding, "Whatever a 'Colonial' is," at a mumble.

"_I actually apologize for how ruff that was. The drive hasn't been used in… wow, that long?"_ the AI said as he checked something no one else could see. _"It's been over ten-thousand galactic-standard years. Anyway, I jumped when I did because we needed to leave before the system's star went supernova. Surviving __**one**__ was hard enough and we're still repairing the damages that the explosion caused. I was __**not**__ looking forward to being hit like that again."_

Clearing his throat and continuing his story, Sieon said, "We had a long era in our history of peaceful exploration, but things started to get complicated when our empire spanned more than just one galactic spiral arm. When we reached that stage, our people became more and more isolated. Star systems would band together because two Collectives within one star system are familiar enough with one another to be at peace, but if another Collective entered their territory… it was a battle of one mind standing against a million. The defending Collective would look into the mind of the newcomer and the pressure of so many minds did one of two things.

"Either you abandoned your views and became a part of their Collective, your previous self ceasing to exist in the process, or your mind was shattered by the force of the Collective and you went insane. Needless to say, if this happened to the wrong person, two Collectives would go to war. Again, you have to understand the nature of a hive-mind to fully grasp why this happened, but I think Vala gets it better than the rest of you."

Without missing a beat, Vala immediately jumped in. "It's like that god awful creation of yours. Your 'Facebook'," Vala said with a note of disgust. "If everyone on Facebook started posting cruel, vile things on your wall, you would start trying to block them. Sad fact is, you can't block everyone so you just keep getting hounded. To get the pressure off of you, you either join them in making fun of someone else, shift the focus and become what you hate, or you're driven to the point of suicide."

The assembled Humans all blinked at Vala in surprise before Cameron finally asked, "What's gotten into you lately?"

"Well, Daniel's been trying to get into my pants for months now and I think he's 'rubbing off on me'," Vala replied with a wink at Daniel.

"No!" Daniel forcefully countered.

"Wow," Jack said with a shake of his head. "Just… wow."

"Clearly I missed something," Sieon observed.

"_I believe that was intended as a joke, though I don't understand Human humor enough to say for sure. If I'm wrong and it wasn't a joke, then Vala is most likely pregnant and Doctor Jackson is the father,"_ Widget replied.

"Oh I already had the kid," Vala assured them casually. "She's currently trying to take over the galaxy."

"_She means Adria,"_ Widget informed his confused master.

"Ah, I see," Sieon said sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I got over it," Vala replied in a tone that made it clear she was anything but.

Continuing his story, Sieon said, "The result of these isolated incidences was an event known as the Furling Galactic Civil War. Over a dozen star systems were at war with another and the violence was spreading quickly. Anytime someone from one Collective went to another, news of the war spread and people became more and more suspicious. As they did, even simple cargo ship crews were crushed by a Collective's attempts to be sure the people coming to their world weren't hostile. Naturally this led to an evolution in war in which cargo ships became weapons against other worlds.

"The suspicion that consumed every living Furling could be felt from one end of the galaxy to another. The animosity between two Collectives was so fierce that the anger that consumed them could be felt by those on the other end of the galaxy. This led to a discovery. The stronger an emotion felt by a Collective, the further away it can be felt. Our greatest historians used this to their advantage. They learned to block off their minds from those around them then went to every warring Collective and absorbed as much information as they could. Then then brought it back to the Preservation Guild to be analyzed. There was much learned about our culture as a whole in the first fifty years of the FGCW.

"We learned that, when a mother losses her child, the grief she feels is spread to every mind in the Collective because Furlings are an emotional species. When we suffer through pain, we reach out to those around us, and they, in an attempt to comfort us, share our pain until it becomes their own. This is how the death of one leads to a war between thousands, and the death of thousands leads to a war between millions. The Furling Galactic Civil War lasted for seventy-three years and ended with the appointment of Scourge as the first 'Scourge.' As I'm sure you just figured out on your own, the title of Scourge comes from the name of the first person to hold the title.

"The Glacialis Collective was still the largest because our homeworld was the most densely populated planet in our territory. Using this to his advantage, Scourge gathered the members of the Preservation Guild and ordered them to board his ships and spread their knowledge. Each planet is its own Collective and the same can be said for a ship. A well-educated and militaristic Collective has a stronger neural connection with greater range. They also have the advantage of being trained in the art of using the mind as a weapon to cripple their enemy or gather Intel without physical interrogation. Using all of these things, Scourge created hundreds of new Collectives and scattered them across the belligerent portions of the Furling Empire.

"A ship would carry that Collective to a warring Collective and they would use their mental strength to broadcast one message to both sides; understanding. By forcing each side to understand the other's pain and reason for fighting, they realized they were all the same people fighting for the same reason. One side saw the other's pain over the initial loss and the side that lost the destroyed mind was able to see the regret and sorrow of the other Collective over causing them that pain. In the end, only one Collective stood against Scourge. This Collective was different. They weren't fighting because they lost someone, they were fighting because a Twisted lived amongst them."

"Twisted?" Sam asked.

"You would call her a 'serial killer'," Sieon elaborated. "Because a hive-mind shares morals and the Twisted are always stronger than the ones they hunt, the entire Collective was perverted into a death loving, mass murdering, glory seeking warrior sect. During the war against them and Scourge, they learned to shield their minds from others by torturing captured historians and used this skill to infiltrate other Collectives. They would kill whoever they wanted or assassinate high ranking officials then leave.

"This led to a reform in the Furling Galactic Navy. Our soldiers had to be retrained to combat this new type of threat. This is the point in history where I was born. When the war finally ended, nothing was left of the Followers of Sithis, also known as the Dark Brotherhood, except for one ship carrying the last of their kind. Several years went by with seemingly random abductions across the Empire. We would later realize that this was the Brotherhood forcefully recruiting new members. They used the animosity and mistrust of the FGCW to hire themselves out to anyone looking to have another person killed. Thus began the Assassin Hunts. This is the part of our history where Widget was born. Fearing his power falling into the wrong hands, Widget was put under the care of Konahrik and Krosis was tasked with making his power available to everyone.

"Finally we reach a point in our history where we're in a golden age. Biotics are widespread enough to keep the Brotherhood from having an easy time killing any of the officials and a new government was formed. The Grand Collective, later renamed the High Council, consisted of one member from every Collective. Because one understands the needs of all, this was all that was needed to form an effective governing body. An era of true peace made us complacent… then we met our first alien race.

"Proving to be both openly hostile and highly advanced, the aliens attacked us. Negotiations were attempted, but nothing was coming out of the efforts to make peace so the people elected a new Scourge. Olaf One-Eye laid waste to the enemy then was put on trial for war crimes. After winning his trial, he became a teacher at the School of Tactical Sense. No that's not the actual name of the school, but it doesn't translate into your language well. I studied there because the military was all I had left as an option. I was hotheaded, irrational, emotionally driven, and infinitely jealous of my brother. As a result, I became a tactician since I knew he'd become a soldier.

"One more thing about Widget worth mentioning, he's the most powerful biotic the Furlings have ever seen to date. He could move a moon out of orbit and actually did so at one point. The natural satellite slammed into the planet it orbited and the military production capacity for the third hostile alien race we encountered was wiped out. Since it was only a small portion of the military of that species that went rouge, we only destroyed the bases belonging to those sects then had good relations with their peoples. Back to the other side of the story, I became a tactician because I knew that it'd put me in charge of Widget one day. And it did…

"And so begins the story of the Fall. Well, I should say that the Fall happens after another three wars with hostile alien powers which puts us at a total of six wars fought with aliens, and two wars fought amongst ourselves. The second golden era of peace brought on after the last alien war was then brought to an end by an enemy we still don't fully understand. It was a huge machine… Well, I'll be honest, it was ship with technologies we had never seen before that put our most powerful ships to shame, and there was an entire armada of them. So great were their numbers that they could black out the skies of the largest of our colonies. We fought for thirty years, losing most of the time…"

Before Sieon could continue, Jack interrupted him shouting, "Who the hell were you fighting that could withstand a fleet of these ships!?" the panic clear in his voice.

With an irritated look at the General, Sieon said, "First, let me make it clear that the technology we had **then** was drastically inferior to the technology they had, and the technology we have **now** is drastically superior to anything that they have thanks to the help we received from the other three Great Races in upgrading our technology. Second, you really need to listen to the full story before you start shouting.

"Now, when we finally captured one of their ships, we sent over a boarding party, but, when we boarded the vessel, we found the ship to be completely empty. The ship was its own crew, and, as such, we finally found out how the enemy was so efficient. They were robotic warships with an unknown creator, an unknown home, an unknown weakness, and an unknown motive for attacking us." The room grew quit as SG-1 processed what they had just heard.

"Finally, after thirty-five years, we found a way to end the war. Though we didn't know it at the time, we were playing a card from the Alterans' book. Rather than fight to the death of our race, we decided to run. We modified one of the FTL devices I mentioned earlier and tried to make it send us into another galaxy. It was supposed to be intergalactic, but something went… weird. I won't say wrong because it **did** save our race.

"We built this new FTL engine in the galactic core so that the radiation would hide our work. We didn't find out until later that the radiation that hid us was also affecting the technology. When we activated the FTL station, we were flung into a new universe instead of a new galaxy," Sieon said with a slight chuckle. "You'd be surprised at how long it took us to realize that.

"Anyway, we already had a good tech base and we brought a significant portion of our fleet through with us, so our population wasn't an issue. Then, for reasons no one could explain at the time, our people started dying. Krosis was lost in the war so we didn't have his brilliant mind to combat it, but, as it would turn out, Krosis wouldn't have been able to do anything."

"Entropic cascade failure," Sam said sadly. For Vala and Cameron's sakes, she promptly added, "Traveling between alternate realities comes with some problems, the main one being entropic cascade failure. This phenomenon results when two people representing the same person, such as the time there were two of me, exist in the same reality at the same time, and is when the visiting person, the one out of his or her own reality, will start to suffer a physical breakdown at the cellular level due to temporal distortion. A traveler who has no living counterpart will not suffer from this breakdown.

"Put as simply as I can make it, when Doctor Carter came to our reality, she was radically different from me. Because of this, the universe started trying to get rid of her. Our realities were too different for there to be two of us. However, when all those alternate SG-1s showed up in the SGC a few months ago, their realities were so similar to our own that the universe couldn't tell one Samantha Carter apart from the other. The teams that came through with Doctor Frasier and Martouf were different enough to suffer the effects of entropic cascade failure, but the fact that both Martouf and Janus were already dead meant that they, specifically, were immune to the affect. Likewise, when I ended up in the alternate SGC not that long ago, I didn't suffer from entropic cascade failure because their Sam died when her lab exploded while pulling me in."

"I see why you like her," Sieon said with a look of impression on his face.

"_She's brilliant enough to make you look like a simpleton,"_ Widget replied with a smile.

"That's stretching it a bit," Sieon countered defensively.

"_She understand the basis of what I'm saying when I explain quantum mechanics to her. You don't,"_ Widget countered.

"Okay, back on track!" Sieon loudly proclaimed. "Now the story of my personal life becomes rather dark. Once we figured out what was happening, I decided to save my people. To do so… I hunted this reality's version of those Furlings that were in my fleet to extinction."

The silence that filled the room at such an announcement was palpable, the tension stifling.

"You…" Daniel began before falling silent again.

"Remember when I said that we were at war with the Nox?" Sieon asked. After everyone nodded in reply, he continued. "The war started when the Nox discovered me bombarding a defenseless world from orbit. At this point in their history, the Furlings of your universe were barely FTL capable, but they **were** FTL capable. In fact, they're the ones who invented the wormhole drive. I stole that from them because my people needed a new form of FTL to get around the galaxy.

"Our war with the Nox was hard for us because we didn't have energy shields. Our kinetic barriers are designed to push a physical round off course. If not for our advanced armor, we would've been beaten easily. As it was, the Furlings who didn't need to die, didn't. The ones who weren't copies of those still alive in my fleet were simply brought into the fold. Because I was the only one actually killing the doubled-up Furlings, my people's Collectives didn't know what was going on, and as far as the Collectives from your reality were concerned, a copy of their race was here to help them advance. Likewise, my people thought that the problem of entropic cascade failure had been solved by our scientists.

"As such, when the Nox followed me back to my people and attacked us, we met them with the full force of our joint peoples. A new Scourge was elected, one of my pupils. The war lasted for two years, both sides taking heavy losses. We had armor that could stop their energy weapons, but their own armor couldn't take much from our kinetic weapons. We had fighters, point-defenses, and years of military tactics learned the hard way. The Nox were pacifists defending the weak.

"When the Asgard arrived on the scene, all they had to go on was the word of our people. They saw us under attack by a superior force, and, after hearing our story, decided to help us. They brought with them the first iteration of plasma shields which greatly improved our combat durability. In return, we gave them our most powerful generators. Because the Asgard proposed the alliance, they were the First Race and we were the Second Race.

"Skip forward a few more years and we've pushed the Nox back to a few remote systems. They've captured some of our tech and have energy shields as well, but their energy production was still limited. Then, one day, their FTL technology jumped forward a thousand years over night. The leap allowed them to hit us fast and hard before disappearing entirely. Two months later we found the Alterans giving them technology and explained the situation to them. The Alterans stopped trading with the Nox and showed up at the next battle in force, and by that I mean they had nearly a hundred ships which was enough to crush both sides if anyone tried anything. They stood between the two sides and demanded peace through understanding. For their efforts, they became the Third Race. Three years later, after the Nox had rebuilt their civilization from the near defeat at the hands of the first two Great Races, they became the Fourth Race.

"Jump forward a few million years and the plague takes the Alterans out of the picture, they leave for Pegasus, the Nox are only on their new homeworld living in peace, the Asgard have left to Ida, and the Furlings have entered a state of seclusion to avoid the plague. After that, the Alterans became the Lanteans, and the Lanteans became the Ancients. At that point, with their ascended knowledge, the Ancients looked into the past, saw my actions, and punished me for them. You may ask yourself how I'm alive after nearly fifty-million years of life. Part of that is stasis, but only because watching the young grow old is boring. As it is, I'm actually incapable of dying from old age. The Ancients made sure that I would live long enough to regret what I did."

"Even then," Daniel said, finally finding his voice again, "you'd have to be millions of years old before they made you immortal. If you were alive for the formation of the Alliance, then you had to be… old as hell by the time they finally did that to you!"

"I suppose leaving out the fact that a Furling has never, in our history, died of old age was a mistake?" Sieon asked with a nervous laugh. "Sorry, I forgot to mention it."

"So you can read minds, manipulate dark matter with your mind, and you live for forever without losing your mind," Jack said with a look on his face that was mix between anger and… something else. "It must be amazing to be a Furling," he added in a dry tone of sarcasm.

"It is indeed," Sieon replied happily. He either didn't catch the tone of Jack's voice, or didn't care. Sam was inclined to think he didn't care.

"You said your enemy had an unknown weakness. Does that mean you still don't know how to beat them?" Jack asked as he was still worried about the invincible foe that brought an entire galactic empire to its knees.

"_Worry not, General. Their tech is based off of the usage of eezo and the technology base of an entirely different universe. I assure you that, in regards to your shields, their main weapons will be virtually ineffective. Against your armor, however, they would skewer you in half with an ease the likes of which would send a shiver down even __**his**__ spine,"_ Widget replied, pointing a finger at Teal'c. _"Also, the repairs to the _Nex_ have been completed. There shouldn't be any more problems with the FTL drive. Oh, and I've finally located that damned satellite."_

"Satellite?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I ordered the ship to be moved here so I can investigate why one of our satellites went offline, so I'm going to leave you in here while I take care of that. You're free to go through the ship's historical logs…" he said while indicating one of the holographic terminals on the wall, "… so you can find anything I left out of my explanation on your own, and you can also access the visual and audio logs from the attack on our race to get a look at the Destroyer of Worlds," another holo terminal was indicated on the other side of the room. "So pretty much the only thing you **can't** do is look at the ship's navigational, battle, or technological logs. If you wish to return to your ship, or if you need help, just ask Widget," Sieon said before vanishing in his cloud to parts unknown.

**Dead Space (Furling Stealth Spy Satellite)**

*FSSS 3-4-82 (Surface)*

A wisp of deep purple 'smoke' signaled Sieon's arrival on the satellite's surface. The Furling Stealth Spy Satellite Network was a massive network consisting of millions of stealth satellites. The massive satellites were the size of skyscrapers on Earth, equipped with powerful subspace sensors and communications arrays, and hidden from the Goa'uld's, and all other prying eyes, by the Nox's most advanced cloaking devices.

The network had been built up over the course of three-thousand years and consisted of over two-hundred-million strategically placed satellites. Everything happening in the Milky Way Galaxy for the past untold number of years had been recorded by these satellites and uploaded to Widget's quantum blue box, a hard-drive with a near infinite storage capacity. This satellite happened to be inside of a rather extensive nebula that extended for hundreds of light years.

"Alright, Widget, what's the diagnosis?" Sieon asked as Widget linked to his armor through the built-in computers.

"_It seems I get to be the bearer of more bad news. Joyous day!"_ Widget replied with false enthusiasm. _"You need to reconnect the main sub-space coil to the communications grid. That should fix the problem,"_ he added in a dry tone.

"Oh, come on! The main coil is in the heart of the satellite!" Sieon complained. The interior of the satellite was jam-packed with sensors, communications, stealth, and other such systems that had a lot of wires, tubes, heating coils, cooling radiators, and… well, stuff that would make maneuvering hard and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, into its guts the Furling crawled.

After a few minutes of maneuvering, Widget informed him that, _"You're going to want to use the fusion torch to reattach the severed cluster of wires to your right. After that, weld the casing back into place, reinitialize the uplink, and you should be good."_ The AI was capable of seeing everything around the Furling thanks to the sensors suite in his armor serving as an extra pair of 'eyes.'

"Alright," Sieon mumbled as he wiggled into position. "Have you figured out how this happened yet?"

"_I won't know for sure until we upload the data its holding, but I do have a theory,"_ the AI replied.

"Alright, let me hear it," Sieon said.

"_Judging by the rock fragments nearby, I'm assuming that the satellite was struck by a micro-meteor. After all, the satellites weren't equipped with shields as we never thought that something like this would happen. In retrospect, we should've given them kinetic barriers. Not only are they harder to detect through a cloak, but they would've stopped the rock fragments from piercing the hull. That, or we should've given them thicker armor,"_ Widget explained.

"Thicker armor would've been my choice," Sieon replied. "Our eezo supplies are low as it is, and there isn't enough to equip the entire network with eezo cores, and, given that eezo's the only thing that can produce a kinetic barrier…"

"_It would've required more than what we had and was, therefore, an impractical suggestion, yes, but it was still an option,"_ Widget interrupted. _"These Humans are weird,"_ he added after a moment.

"How so?" Sieon asked as he began making his way out from deep within the structure that was beginning to hum to life around him.

"_All of their technology is advanced because it's based off of Asgard and Goa'uld tech, but the way they did it is… intuitive,"_ the AI replied.

"How so?" Sieon asked again as his foot got caught in a tangle of wires. With a sigh of annoyance, he turned around and started fixing what he broke while getting free.

"_Rather than use a system built by the Asgard, they took the design and made it their own. Yes they have an Asgard intergalactic hyperdrive, but theirs is more energy efficient. Not to mention that their shields shouldn't be as strong as they are. They're using a generator that's a hell of a lot smaller than a Goa'uld's, but they produce so much more energy it's just ridiculous. It's like they found a way to make primitive and advanced technology join together in a more efficient way than I would've imagined a species as young as humanity to be capable of."_

"Seeing as how they're doing all of this without the full support of their world, is that really so surprising?" Sieon asked as he turned around again and started making his way out of the satellite.

"_Considering they have less than the forces of an entire planet only makes it __**more**__ impressive,"_ Widget corrected the organic. _"Seriously though, why are you __**crawling**__ out of the satellite if you can just __**teleport**__ out?"_

Sieon thought that over for a second before saying, "Because I need to close the maintenance hatch."

"_And what's stopping you from teleporting to the external hull of the construct, closing the hatch, and teleporting back to the ship?"_ Widget countered.

Sieon ground his teeth together before shouting a profanity in his native tongue and following the AI's advice.

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center)*

"That's interesting," Daniel said.

"What?" Vala and Sam asked.

"The name of this ship is the _Paciscor of Nex_," Daniel replied.

"What's wrong with that?" Vala asked.

"I'm no expert, but that sounds Ancient to me," Sam said.

"It is," Daniel said. "Why does a Furling ship have an Ancient name?" Daniel asked.

"_It was a tribute to the Alterans. A way of thanking, respecting, and honoring them," _Widget said, making them all jump. _"This ship was built before we came to this universe, but was renamed from the Furling language to the Alteran language after the plague wiped out over half of their population, but before their mass ascension. Even the Asgard named a few ships in the language of the Alterans, the _Clausus Cursor_ being the perfect example."_ Seeing their reactions, Widget added, _"Forgot I was here didn't you? That's fine,"_ before disappearing again.

"Actually it's not that, it's that the fact that they cursed Sieon and you just said you're 'thanking, respecting, and honoring them.' I'm just a little confused as to why you would do that," Daniel said.

"_It's simple really. The __**Alterans**__ are what they were when they were a proud and respectable race. The __**Ancients**__ are what they are now. You know, a race of pathetic, high-horse riding, good-for-nothing, do-nothings that won't lift a finger to save anyone! They let the Wraith take over the Pegasus Galaxy and kill millions of people every year. They let the Goa'uld take over and do the same in the Milky Way, and now they're letting the Ori invade unchallenged. Oh, and did I mention the Asurans? That was their fault too and how many people died because of them?"_

"He has a point," Vala said.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

Sam's watch beeped and she looked down before swearing. "Shit! Sir, we've missed three scheduled check-ins!"

"Crap!" Jack swore. "We need to get a message to Earth."

"_If you'll follow me,"_ Widget said as the doors to the CIC opened and another holographic image of him was standing outside motioning for them to follow him.

Another ride on the train that ran through the ship took them from the middle of the ship to one of the outer edges. A short walk from the train was a very large door. When that opened, Sam got a good look at the _Odyssey_ in all her glory. The Asgard had modified her heavily. Beams of light had stripped away her armor only to replace it again with something better, weapon emplacements could be seen on the outer hull, there weren't any more holes in her armor, and her engines were fully intact. All in all, she looked like a warship instead of an old, used up punching bag.

Then Sam took in the room they were in. It was a massive hangar built to hold a ship far larger than the _Odyssey_'s tiny frame with a truly massive door directly across from them. As a result, of being sized for a different class of ship, the _Odyssey_ was off-centered and held in place by what looked like magnetic clamps attached to the hull. Considering that none of the materials Sam knew to be in the hull were ferromagnetic, she had to ask.

"What's holding it up?"

"_Those things there,"_ Widget replied while pointing to the clamps, _"generate a very powerful, specially directed gravity field to hold the ship in place. If you cross the docking necklace, I __**believe**__ I have it lined up with the airlock properly."_

Sam walked forward, crossed the bridge that joined the _Odyssey_ to the dock, entered her access code, then stopped when she noticed her and Jack were alone. "You're not coming?" Sam asked.

"_The _Odyssey_ is outside of my domain,"_ Widget replied from his place 'ashore.' _"There are no holographic emitters on the ship outside of the Asgard Core and turning that on will only attract the Ori. That, and I doubt that General O'Neill wants an alien computer program entering his ship's computers."_

Jack grumbled something illegible in reply before walking into the airlock with Sam behind him. The duo made their way to the Bridge and Sam opened a channel to the SGC. As the connection stabilized and General Landry came on the line, Sam and Jack gave a brief report of their situation and made sure to tell the General that they had found the Furlings.

"_An honest to God living Furling?"_ Landry asked. _"This just keeps getting weirder. First the Impolans give us the _Devastator_, then they turn around and give us designs for a planetary defense shield, and then the Asgard give us weapons to defeat the Ori."_ Landry shook his head. _"When I woke up this morning, I did not predict this outcome. When's your ETA?"_

"To be honest, I'm not even sure where we are," Sam replied as she walked over to the navigational computer. _'Pretty,'_ she thought to herself as she took in the view of the nebula they were in. Then she saw ships that had hunted them for weeks! "Sir!" Sam called out.

"What is it, Carter?" Jack asked as he left Landry looking at the duo from a distance.

Sam pressed a few buttons on another terminal and Landry's view shifted as another camera was used to broadcast their images to him. "It's the Cylons, sir," Sam said while pointing to the Baseships.

"What's a Cylon?" Jack asked.


	26. Avenue of Souls

So... "Tomorrow's" Friday (as I'm posing this at 9pm on Thursday, October 16th) and I'll be busy babysitting my nieces. As such, to be sure I don't forget to post this then, here's chapter 25 a few hours ahead of schedule, and yes that means that there will be no update for Friday, October 17th. Nevertheless, enjoy. Next week we get to the good parts!

Chapter 25

Avenue of Souls

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**_Paciscor of Nex_ (Starboard Bay Three)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

"This is where we say goodbye and go our separate ways," Sieon said with small smile.

"You're leaving?" Daniel asked.

"We both are," Sieon replied. "You are going back to your people, and I am doing the same. I need to report to the High Council all that I've learned, but I assure you, Doctor Jackson, we will meet again."

"Why weren't you with your people when we found you?" Jack asked.

"After they learned of what I had done, I was banished by the High Council. They couldn't just kill me because the Ancients wouldn't allow them to impart a punishment that undid their own, but they had to do **something** because the Furlings of this reality wanted my head. Needless to say, banishment was the only thing they could come up with because of the Ancients' interference."

"Well…" Daniel said nervously. "Best of luck to you."

With a smile, Sieon turned to Sam. "Do you still have the crystal orb that you recovered from the Lucian Alliance? The one you locked away because you thought it contained an AI?"

"Yes," Sam replied.

"Would you be willing to retrieve it for me?"

"Sure," Sam said somewhat awkwardly before leaving. She returned a moment later with an orb in her hands full of pulsating colors. "Here," Sam said while holding it out. Sieon took the orb in one, three-fingered hand then brought that same arm up to his face. With his right hand, he drug his fingers across his left forearm and a holographic display appeared from his armor. With a few commands put into the holographic terminal, he then handed the orb back to Sam. "What's this?" Sam asked.

"A gift," Sieon replied. "Inside of the crystal is a copy of Widget's AI code. We put them in the satellites to assure that he could control them. As long as the orb is connected to a subspace transponder, you will have access to all of his knowledge, and he will be able to relay messages between us. This way, you have a means of contacting me. It also helps to have an AI of your own when you know you're about to jump into combat with a race of them."

"Thank you," Daniel said when no one else knew what to say.

"I bid you farewell, people of the Tau'ri. With any luck, we will meet again soon," Sieon replied with a smile before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Well?" Daniel asked as the ship vibrated around them.

Sam handed him the orb and sat at Marks' terminal. "We're drifting free," she reported.

After being briefed on the Cylons, Jack had decided he wanted to meet them. Being the highest ranking officer present, he was bound to get what he wanted. The hangar doors opened to allow the _Odyssey_ to pass through and Sam took them out.

"I'll never get tired of seeing that," Jack said in a tone of disappointment. He really was hoping they were going to get to keep the ship.

"What do I do with this?" Daniel asked as he held the orb in his hands.

"We could hook it up to the ship," Vala suggested. "That is what it's for."

"It's an AI," Jack replied.

"A **Furling** AI," Daniel stressed. "They're our allies, Jack."

"Gabi made a cradle for it," Sam said as she plotted their hyperspace course. Behind them, the _Nex_ was consumed in a burst of light that traveled over the ship like a wave and looked eerily familiar to a Stargate's unstable vortex. Once the whole ship was covered, it vanished. _'I want one!'_ Sam practically pouted in the privacy of her own mind. "It's in one of the auxiliary labs."

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Mars (Orbit)**

*Captured Baseship (Combat Information Center)*

The last gut-wrenching jump deposited them in orbit of the Red Planet only without the gut-wrenching part. By now, they were all so used to it that they could sleep through the jumps without being bothered.

"Oh my god!" Kirsten exclaimed as she took in the image of Mars below them. "FINALLY!"

"You got that one right," Kimi agreed with a heavy sigh.

"Sir, I have General Landry on the line," Cassidy reported.

"Patch him through," Oliver ordered as he stepped up to the comms station.

"_Colonel, I wasn't expecting you to show up in something so…"_ Landry trailed off and shook his head. _"It's you. I should always expect this. Colonel Davidson made it back a few days ago and told us your story. I have to say, I'm impressed you got this far. Where are the Colonials?"_

"Davidson made it back?" Oliver asked, his tone full of relief. "What happened to the _Odyssey_?"

"_General O'Neill has it,"_ Landry replied with another shake of his head. _"I've got a hell of story to tell you, Colonel, but I still want to know what happened to the Colonials."_

"They're safely tucked away in a nebula that the Cylons can't scan anything in. The ship we captured is faster than their fleet so we told them to stay behind and we'd go back for them later. Like yours, it's a long story."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**Dead Space (Cylon Fleet)**

*Cavil's Baseship (Combat Information Center)*

There were seven Baseships in 'his' fleet. Each crewed entirely by one of the Human-form models' line. It had been Cavil's idea for the Human-forms to 'learn how to be independent of the Centurions,' but his real reason behind it was to eventually have a fleet of his own where the others wouldn't be able to stick their collective noses in his affairs.

"Beautiful isn't it, brother?" another One asked as he walked up beside Cavil.

"Indeed it is, but its beauty is irrelevant. Take a picture if you wish, but this insignificant cloud will soon be far behind us," the first One responded.

"I'm not so sure that this place is as insignificant as you believe it to be, brother. If my readings are accurate, the _Odyssey_ is hailing us," a third One said from behind the duo.

"_My brothers and sisters,"_ an Eight said through their neural link, _"we must be careful here. If the news delivered by the Threes is correct, then these people are responsible for…"_

"We know already! Everything you know we know, now let's get this over with and just blow them up already!" Cavil interrupted her.

"_No, I want to talk to them first,"_ Six replied.

"And why in God's name would you want to do that?" Cavil sneered.

"_Because they want to talk to us, and we need to keep them busy long enough to upload a virus into their computers. If they really __**are**__ from Earth then they must have the coordinates somewhere in their navigational computers,"_ Two said.

"Very well then," Cavil relented as he answered the call. "This is Brother Cavil, Model One, and member of the Cylon Collective. What do you want?" Cavil sneered with disgust clear in his voice.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

Ignoring the hostile tone, Daniel replied, "We wish to talk."

"_About what?"_ another, less hostile, male voice asked.

"Your conflict with the Colonials. We know only what Laura Roslin has told us, and we'd like to get your side of the story," Daniel replied.

"_Very well,"_ a new, obviously female, voice said. As the Cylons began to weave a tale of slavery, rebellion, betrayal, misunderstanding, and divine conquest, Daniel listened intently.

After about ten minutes of what seemed like the Asurans' story all over again, Widget's electronic voice said, _"Sieon was right, they're attempting to hack your files."_

"Can you stop them?" Sam asked.

Widget's electronic laugh was the only answer they got for a whole two seconds. _"'Can I' she asks. Ha! On a more serious tone, they can't read Asgard binary so they can't break Asgard firewalls."_

"So you **can** stop them?" Jack stressed.

"_I don't need to, General. Your computers are immune to their virus."_

"That's a yes," Sam clarified.

"_Are you ordering me to stop them? Because I was thinking of giving them false information instead,"_ the AI replied with a devious tone. Convincing Jack to let them hook the AI up to the _Odyssey_ hadn't even been that hard once Sam said that the Cylons beat the Colonials with a virus. After that, he was all for the extra protection… that they, apparently, didn't even need.

"You can do that?" Mitchell asked.

"_Yes, but only if you authorize it,"_ Widget's bodiless voice responded. Sam had locked him out of all but the internal comms system. She just didn't feel safe giving him free access to the ship and Jack had agreed with her.

"Okay, give them the location of the nearest black hole and say it's the Colonials, give them one of Ba'al's worlds and say it's Earth, and, just for fun, give them a fake schematic for a naquadah nuke, but make it need something found only in…" Jack said before he ran out of ideas.

"The minefield where the _Odyssey_ was hijacked by the Lucian Alliance last year?" Daniel offered.

"Yes! That sounds like fun!" Jack exclaimed.

"_Okay, the changes have been made. I'm releasing the virus into a virtually simulated computer world, and… their upload is complete, I'm destroying the virus now. What happens next?"_ Widget asked.

As one of the Cylon Baseships opened fire with all of its missiles, Sam sighed and said, "I think I'm starting to understand how the Goa'uld feel. They're launching nukes."

"Blow 'em out of the sky," Jack ordered with a disappointed tone to his voice.

"There's too many, I can't get them all," Sam replied.

"_Give me control of the point-defense weapons systems,"_ Widget said. When no one made a move to comply, he added, _"Oh come on! This is what I was built for and I haven't seen any action in longer than your species has been walking on two legs!"_ With a look at Jack, who nodded his approval, Sam let Widget run loose through the ship's computers. _"Targeting missiles now…"_ After a moment of far more accurate fire against the incoming missiles, he added, _"Sam's right, there's too many. Some of them are going to make it through. You did thank the Asgard for your shields before they died, right?"_

*Cavil's Baseship (Combat Information Center)*

Cavil watched as the Humans attempted, and failed, to shoot down all the missiles headed their way. He grinned in satisfaction as five nuclear missiles made it through their defenses and struck the ship. A split-second later the small craft was consumed in nuclear fire.

"_You fool. We weren't finished yet!"_ the Threes scolded them.

"_How dare you go against the Consensus!"_ the Sixes declared, the rest of the lines quickly agreeing with the female model.

"Are you going to stand there gawking or are you going to help me eliminate a ship we know damn well can take on twenty Baseships?" Cavil shot back. To his satisfaction, the other Baseships opened fire en mass.

The comms channel opened again, this time forced open by unknown means, before a very fierce voice spoke to them. _"You've just made the last mistake of your miserable existence!"_ one of the Humans said. The last thing Cavil and the others remembered before the entire fleet was destroyed and their minds picked up by the Resurrection Fleet, were the beams of blue light that tore their ships apart with a single hit to each.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Briefing Room)*

Landry held the ZPM in his hand and looked it over with a sense of wonder. Then he picked up another and held them both. "Strange feeling, isn't it?" Oliver asked. "Knowing that you hold in your hands enough power to destroy an entire solar system… it makes you think."

Landry looked up to the Italian and smiled the first genuine smile he had ever given the man. In all the years that they'd known each other, Landry had thought of Oliver as an annoyance. When they first met and Oliver showed-up Landry's own forces by doing alone what his entire team couldn't, it had formed a wedge between them. Afterwards, Landry just never let go of that feeling. Now… now he was thinking.

"You just made it off of my shit-list," Landry replied.

"You mean I'm not at the top of your shit-list anymore?" Oliver asked in an attempt to clarify.

"No," Landry replied with a shake of his head and a very small smile. "You're off it entirely."

Oliver raised an eyebrow at that. "Who are you and where is General Landry?" he asked.

"Funny," Landry huffed before hitting his ear piece. "Walter, is the generator the Asgard gave us still hooked up to the Gate?"

"_Yes, sir,"_ the Airman replied from his place one floor below them.

"Ready the next batch of supplies then dial _Atlantis_ and inform them that precious cargo is coming through," Landry ordered. "Then get on the line with the _Cursor_ and tell them I have something that needs to be beamed over to Area 51. Have their techs start figuring out to incorporate these into the planetary defense shield's design."

"_Yes, sir,"_ Walter replied, a smile in his tones. A second later, his voice came over the base's internal speakers. _"Chevron one encoded."_

"Planetary defense shield?" Gabi asked.

"_Chevron two encoded."_

"A gift from the Impolans," Landry replied. "They stole it from Ptah of all people. Of course, he stole it from the Ancients, but that's life for you."

"_Chevron three encoded."_

"All the knowledge of the Asgard, weapons to take on the Ori, a meeting with a living Furling, the discovery of another sub-branch of humanity, the introduction of murderous robots hell-bent on killing all Humans, finding a new enemy amongst the Goa'uld who could actually pose a threat to Earth, the designs for a planetary defense shield, new allies in the Impolans, Ba'al's flagship, the official launch of the _Ares_, and enough ZPMs to make General Landry not hate Oliver anymore," Tommy listed off on his fingers. "Eleven miraculous events and elven ZPMs… This has been a crazy two months."

"_Chevron four encoded."_

"Indeed," a stoic and familiar voice said from behind them.

"_Chevron five encoded."_

Cassidy was the first one up. She jumped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around the man's neck. "I can't believe I missed you!" Cassidy cried as she squeezed Ry around the neck.

"_Chevron six encoded."_

"I mean, you're a good person and all," she immediately started blabbering, "but your personality leaves a lot to be desired… I'm just going to shut up now."

"_Chevron seven encoded."_

"I have been worried for your safety as well," Ry replied dryly while returning the woman's embrace nonetheless.

"_Chevron eight locked."_

"Well, that's our cue," Oliver said as he stood up and saluted Landry. "We'll be on our way."

"Godspeed, Colonel," Landry replied with a nod. As he turned towards the stairs to carry the two ZPMs going to _Atlantis_ down to the Gate Room, Oliver called after him.

"Wanna take a spare?" he asked. Landry turned around to make eye contact. Oliver shrugged and said, "For the _Daedalus_," before he and his men were beamed away.

He struggled with that thought for a moment then thought, _'Why not?'_ and grabbed another ZPM before walking down to the Gate Room. Hitting his radio, Landry said, "Doctor Weir," into his earpiece as he walked up the ramp towards the event horizon. "I trust you've lowered the Gate shield?" he asked as he stopped before the shimmering wormhole.

"_Yes, sir,"_ Weir replied, clearly confused.

"Good," Landry said before stepping through the Gate.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_Relentless Destruction_ (Combat Information Center)*

The missing members of the Zeta Initiative appeared on the CIC of the _Destruction_ with the ship's CO, a smile on every face present… except for one. "Take us into hyperspace," Ry ordered over the cheers of the team returned safely.

Once the crew had settled down enough that they weren't cheering anymore, Oliver asked, "A planetary defense shield? What the hell did we miss?"

"I imagine you missed out on as many life-changing discoveries as we did while you were away on your adventure," Ry replied. "I apologize for your situation."

"How was it your fault?" Oliver asked as he followed Ry into his office and everyone else went wherever they felt like going.

"When we lost contact with your team, we planned on sending a ship, but General Landry said that the _Odyssey_ was closer and there was no need for us to delay our mission to assist you. Also, Lieutenant Sixo impressed upon me the need to inform you that, had you not taken your own ship against such a drastically more powerful enemy in the first place, you would not have needed anyone's assistance to escape the situation you were in as the _Carnage_ would've been combat ready and waiting in orbit."

Oliver made a noise that was halfway between a huff and a laugh. "Well Derek can go fuck himself."

"I assumed you would say as much," Ry said dryly as he handed Oliver a stack of files. "You have much to catch up on."

"Ry," Oliver said as the man turned to leave him in peace. "The next time something like this happens, because we all know it's bound to happen again," Oliver said in a tone of trepidation, "at least **try** to send a message of warning. When we were beamed up, the last thing I expected was to find myself aboard a 304. Just saying."

***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***

**Lantea (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Weir's Office)*

"Weapons to fight the Ori?" Lieutenant-Colonel John Sheppard asked in a tone of disbelief.

"According to Colonel Davidson, the _Odyssey_ singlehandedly outright destroyed an Ori Mothership in fewer than ten shots," Landry replied. "The bulk of the damage to the _Odyssey_'s shields was brought on by the explosion of the planet and the fact that they were running without fighting."

"Sir, the Ori are harder to kill than the Wraith," Colonel Caldwell said in a tone of disbelief. "You're telling me that you can beat them now?"

"And you said that Colonel Carter called-in before you came here and said they found the Furlings?" Weir added.

"With the information I provided," McKay quickly pointed out with a smug smile plastered on his face.

"You're not getting anything other than a brief mention in the footnotes," Landry sternly informed the Canadian. "The crew of the _Odyssey_ did more to discover the Furlings than you did seeing as how they nearly died in the process, but, as usual, the actual credit goes to General O'Neill and SG-1. Back to more serious matters, we're currently doing everything we can to improve Earth's defenses. The Ori know we have weapons capable of beating them in open combat. It's now only a matter of time before they make a move against what they can no longer deny is a growing threat. As such, for the next hour, we'll be constantly shipping material and personnel through the Stargate. Get the _Daedalus_ back up to full strength, Colonel. We may need her sooner than we hoped."

"And what about _Atlantis_?" Weir asked.

"You have a full complement of ZPMs, Doctor. If memory serves, one ZPM was enough to hold off ten Hiveships for a few days. With three of them and the drilling platform you found, you'll be able to submerge the city again if need be. As it stands, you're better equipped to survive a siege than Earth is… for now," he added with a dubious smile. He couldn't wait for the end of the week to roll around. They were going to launch the first of the satellites that would form the orbital grid. It would be a momentous occasion.

"_There's a message for you, General,"_ Chuck announced over the city's internal broadcasting system._ "SG-1 has returned with the _Odyssey_."_ A loud cheer rose from the Control Room as the Expedition members celebrated the safe return of one of Earth's few warships. Especially one so heavily upgraded and carrying the future of Earth's space fleet in her newly installed Asgard databanks.

"About time," Landry mumbled to himself. Below them, on the Gate Room floor, pallets were continuously floating through the Gate on anti-gravity fields and stacking themselves in neat and orderly rows in the Jumper Bay above them. They'd been shipping supplies through for nearly half an hour now, so the Gate would shut off soon. Then the SGC would dial in again and send the last shipment of materials _Atlantis_ would need to become a self-sustained powerhouse through the Gate.

"Out of curiosity, what all are you sending us?" Weir asked as the pallets just kept coming.

"Everything you've ever asked for," Landry replied in a serious tone.

"Everything?" Sheppard asked.

"More railgun emplacements for the city's defenses, our newly operational plasma cannon designs, more raw material to make whatever repairs or modifications to the city you want, plans for the Asgard's Neutrino Ion Generators, schematics for the new beam weapons and ion cannon turrets, and enough manpower to get this city back in one piece."

"Plasma cannons?" Sheppard excitedly.

"Ion cannons?" McKay countered with greater enthusiasm.

"Beam weapons?" Weir asked, a little off put by the idea.

"You'll have the plans for all of it," Landry replied. "The _Daedalus_ will be upgraded to the new standards of the fleet in accordance to the data package we'll be sending you shortly. As for the city, make whatever modifications you want." Landry stood to leave, the military personnel promptly standing to salute the man as he went. Walking into the Control Room, Landry said, "The moment the Gate shut downs, dial Earth. Until then, get me a channel to SG-1."

"Yes, sir," Chuck replied as he opened the channel.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Area 51 (Shipyards)*

The _Odyssey_ lowered itself into the slip next to the one she had been built in, that one currently occupied by the _Apollo_, before shimmering back into view. It was the middle of the day on Earth and a news van was sitting outside of the facility giving a report on whatever it was that was popular in today's media. Needless to say, that warranted the _Odyssey_'s use of her cloak. She sat down in her cradle with slight bump and the hangar doors began to close overhead. As the sun stopped illuminating the large cavern the ship now resided in, Sam blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the relative darkness. Try as hard as you might, you'd never be able to replace the sun.

"I need a coffee," Daniel said while rubbing his head.

"The good stuff," Jack corrected him.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"Starbucks anyone?" Vala asked.

"Briefing first, good coffee later," Sam countered.

"Why not coffee first?" Jack asked. "We can just beam into a dark alley and get the coffee then have someone beam us back."

"To late," Sam said with a sad smile. "We're being hailed."

"_I expected you to come back with a massive ship in orbit to show for your efforts,"_ Landry said as his face appeared on screen.

"Sir," Sam said, her face twisted in confusion as she took in the General's surroundings. "Are… are you on _**Atlantis**_?"

"He is," Daniel said as he recognized the familiar architecture.

"_The Asgard gave us a power source capable of dialing _Atlantis_ after it became clear that the _Daedalus_ wouldn't be capable of making the intergalactic trip before they ran out of supplies. Add to that the fact that they needed raw materials to patch up the hull after using the ship to stop a coronal mass ejection, and we didn't have much of a choice in dialing them, but we didn't want to fly the ZPM in from Antarctica. Then, just because these months are apparently the turning point for Earth as a galactic power, Colonel Viride showed up in a Cylon Baseship carrying eleven ZPMs in a cloth sack."_

"I'm sorry," Jack said in a confused, but still calm tone. "_**WHAT**_?" he then asked at an excited, bewildered, and disbelieving shout.

"There it is," Sam said pointing to a signature they could detect in orbit. Even with the heavily shielded walls surrounding them, the upgrades to the _Odyssey_ the Asgard had made allowed them to clearly see a Baseship in orbit of the moon under the watching guns of the _Cursor_.

"_It's a long story,"_ Landry replied. _"I'll be back on Earth in just under an hour. You have until then to get your reports written."_

"Yes, sir," Cam replied with a salute.

"I hate paperwork," Jack said with a sigh.

"_Stop leaving the planet and you won't have to write up reports,"_ Landry countered. _"Landry out."_

"What do we do with him?" Sam asked while casting a thumb over her shoulder to the where the orb sat currently disconnected from the _Odyssey_'s computers. Jack didn't want to take the risk of the AI jumping out of their computers and entering the global communication network at large. Despite the extremely large amount of data his code took up, Sam knew that the AI would be capable of functioning if it hid parts of itself in servers around the globe. The internet would make the task far too easy for her comfort.

"Well, leaving him boxed is the safest measure," Jack said matter-of-factly.

With another annoyed sigh, Daniel argued, "He's not a threat to us, Jack! He had the opportunity to kill us when Sam let him loose in the computers or when we were aboard the _Nex_. Instead, he's been helping us from the beginning. You should trust the AI more than you trust the Furling considering that one of them locked us up and the other one set us free."

"Fine," Jack relented. "We'll hook him up to a **non-networked** computer in the SGC, but first, I want some coffee!"

"Oh, I got this one!" Vala exclaimed before taking a seat at the tactical station.

"It's a military ship, Vala…" Daniel began before thinking better of it. "Never mind."

"Smart man," Vala said smugly.

The last time they had had this argument was aboard the _Prometheus_ during the Ori's first attempt at opening a Supergate and Vala had rightly shot him down by saying she had stolen it before. He didn't want to give her any ideas, especially considering all that the _Odyssey_ had now.

In a flash of light, the members of SG-1, past and present, disappeared from the ship. A split-second later they all appeared in Vala's apartment. "Starbucks is a short, less than two minute walk from here!"

"You pick this place just for its proximity to Starbucks, didn't you?" Cam asked.

"A girl has to have her priorities straight," Vala replied with a smile.

"You are the epitome of the stereotypical American white girl," Daniel said with a shake of his head as they all made their way down to street level. "Starbucks and iPhones," he added with a shake of his head.

*Stargate Command (Auxiliary Lab Seventeen) [mid-day the next day]*

It was a running joke that this was now the 'AI Room,' but it wasn't meant as an insult. Having an AI sitting in his base had been unnerving at first, but Landry had been assured that nothing bad could happen as long as the computer was kept isolated, though they did find that the AI was significantly less capable when limited. They had started out by keeping its primary functions constricted, then they had let it loose in the computer it was being connected to. After that, they found that connecting it to the other AI on the _Nex_ via subspace increased its intelligence by a rather frightening factor. It went from being as smart as a fresh college grad, to being able to outdo Sam, to teaching people quantum mechanics. The last leap was truly radical since Sam still couldn't figure quantum mechanics out without help.

They kept in contact with the Furling through its AI and were somewhat unnerved to hear that Sieon had yet to find a planet previously inhabited by the Furlings that still had life on it. When the AI on the _Nex_ replaced the copy they had, everyone could tell because Widget would always ask for Sam specifically. To reduce the confusion factor, the AI that they were keeping in the computer in the SGC had agreed to go by a new name. Jack had suggested 'Pac' and the name had stuck… even after the AI found out its new name was derived from the video game Pac Man. To help with the visual aspect of reducing confusion, being in a Human computer had, as the AI said, caused him to become more Human. He, unlike Widget, now had five fingers on each hand as opposed to three and 'wore' Human attire.

Then they had given Pac access to the Asgard Computer Core on the _Odyssey_.

The fallout from that decision is where Landry currently found himself. "What did you find?" he asked the AI who had been given access to a holographic projection system to make communicating with it a bit more natural. Now it was like having a hyper-intelligent prisoner in his base that was actually cooperating with their demands.

"_Well,"_ Pac replied as he looked away from Sam who was currently in the room going over a design plan with him, _"the Asgard weren't kidding when they said they had given you __**everything**__. I took a look at all they know and compared it to your own technology. Your 304s can be greatly improved using what they gave you. During my allotted access time to the _Odyssey_'s computers I was also able to upgrade some of the Earth-based systems by altering the code to cover the flaws in the designs and I managed to make the Asgard systems more compatible with your power core by altering the power distribution systems. That should also prevent another overload like the one that crippled the ship during the uncontrolled ejection from hyperspace."_

"That's not all," Sam added as she picked up the explanation. "The Asgard installed the beam weapons because they were simple enough to add, but the Asgard also have coaxial ion cannons that would require gutting part of the ship and installing a massive cannon that fires ion rounds. Because of the design, it draws less power than the beams, but has nearly as much kick to it. The drawback, before you ask, is the size of the gun. The beam cannons are smaller than a fighter, and, conceivably, could be altered to fit onto one, but the coaxial gun… it'll run the entire z-axis of the ship."

"_There's also a matter of upgrading the interface systems you use. The Asgard have the base of the technology so me filling in the gaps isn't a problem. Because of this, I suggest we upgrade you to a holographic system."_

Pac's holographic avatar was promptly replaced as his body 'exploded' out into a holographic image of the _Odyssey_ in all her glory, but with obvious changes. The ship was fully decked out in the armor that the Asgard had given them, a new gun ran the length of the ship just as Sam had said, and, as the image zoomed in to show the interior of the Bridge, it became clear that the consuls the Tau'ri used had been upgraded to holo-screens and that the navigation terminal in the back had been replaced with a large holographic map of the galaxy.

"_With the upgrades the Asgard made, it opened up new options for improvement. You'll find that our SHIT has a lower power yield than your computers and is far more effective. As for the weapons systems that the LGMs installed, I was able to work out the power requirements to a more manageable level. This also opens up the needed power draw and room for the weapon Sam mentioned, and allows you the option of installing your plasma cannons without taxing the power systems too much,"_ Pac explained.

"Your shit?" Landry asked.

"SHIT," Sam corrected. "It's all caps."

"_It stands for Simi-tangible Holographic Interface Technology,"_ Pac explained dryly.

"Sir, the bottom line is that, between what we know and what the Asgard gave us, we can take the 304s to a whole new level," Sam added.

"And you came up with this overnight?" Landry asked.

"In the past roughly two hours, actually," Sam replied somewhat sheepishly.

"Two **hours**?" Landry stressed.

"Having an AI helps immensely," Sam stressed as Pac's Avatar replaced the projected modifications to the 304s. "In just a few hours of work, we've figured out how to get shields that are stronger than the upgrades that McKay wrote up after being exposed to the Ascension Machine, we've upgraded the engines for better acceleration and a very minor increase to top speed, we've ironed out the dampeners and made them better as well, we've figured out how to construct the beam weapons with what we have available in Earth's industry so the components can be made by some of the more advanced companies then assembled on site, we've written up the plans for the installation of advanced holo-terminals, developed a working model of the Asgard Neutrino Ion Generators that'll fit on our ships, and, with the changes Pac made to the operating systems and power distribution grid, we've obtained both an increase in energy efficiency and overall efficiency in all of our primary and secondary systems."

"So when do we start implementing these changes in the fleet?" Landry asked, his tone neutral despite the absoluteness of his inner joy. He felt like a little kid being told he could have whatever he wanted at the toy store.

"_We've already begun,"_ Pac replied. _"We sent the updated designs to _Atlantis_ and Colonel Caldwell had his people start making what changes could be made without more materials. We've compiled a list of everything else they'll need and your people will ship it through the Gate once they're ready."_

"The goal is to get the fleet upgraded as much as possible in as short a timeframe as we can. Waiting for the _Daedalus_ to make the three-week trip back to Earth for her upgrades would be a waste. Once her new generators are installed, it'll only take them four days to get back. In just under four weeks, we could have all of the 304s upgraded to a level that'll make taking on the Ori and the Wraith not just practical, but easy."

"And if we don't have four weeks?" Landry asked the question that had been in his mind since Hammond pointed out that the Ori wouldn't take this lying down.

"We're moving as fast as we can, sir," Sam assured him. "Pac's helping the design process along and that's cut a full three months off of our projected schedule. If you want it done faster, you're going to have to unbox him. If you give him access to the shipyards in Area 51, he'll tell us how to speed up the process."

"You can do that?"

"_Well, I think Sam's giving me more credit than I deserve. Most of the work was already done by your people, I just fixed the flaws that would've taken weeks of simulations to solve. As for your shipyards, I know how the Furlings build ships like the _Nex_. Logically speaking, I can improve your methods, but, what Sam fails to realize, is that my improvements will take time to implement. In the end, you might complete the upgrades faster, but, after waiting for the upgrades to the shipyards, it might take longer than four weeks. I can't guarantee you either way."_

"Go ahead and give him access to the shipyards," Landry ordered. "**Only** the shipyards."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Third Gas Giant from the Star (Lunar Orbit)**

*Zeta Site (Shipyards) [two days later]*

"You want to incorporate a Neutrino Ion Generator into the ship's design?" the Chief Engineer asked in a flabbergasted tone.

"If you have to rip out the existing power core, go ahead," Oliver replied. "The NIG should have a far larger base power yield even if it's smaller than what Sam's installing on the 304s."

Gabi walked up behind him a second later with a smile on her face. "I told you I could do it!" she happily exclaimed before handing the Chief one of the two tablets she was carrying with her. "That's the list of modifications that will be made possible and the methods you need to implement them. Start with the addition of the NIG then move on to the new armor. Once that's done, we can install some more weapons. Sam found a rather interesting weapon we can replace the spinal mounted kinetic weapons with."

"And that would be?" Oliver asked.

Gabi smiled a mischievous smile in reply. "A modified ion cannon design the Asgard were working on. Sam's already talking General Landry into installing them on the 304s as well."

"Okay, so what all is being changed?" Oliver asked as the left the Chief to his work load. Despite the size of the ships in question, his work load was not a small one.

"The armor's being upgraded using Furling production methods and an older Asgard formula. If my calculations are right, it'll give the hull the resilience of a Beliskner. The shields will be upgraded by the increase in power alone, but the new designs Landry gave us access to as 'payment for the planetary defense shield' will add to that," Gabi said with quotes around the phrase.

They had stopped off at the Alpha Site yesterday by Landry's order and General Ervin had sent them the data package of information the SGC was willing to give them. To the people at the Alpha Site, it was Earth further securing their alliance with the Impolans by sharing shield technology in return for their gracious gift of the PDS.

"Between the new NIG and the improved shield design," Gabi continued, "we're looking at a one-hundred-fifty percent increase in shield capacity. Couple that with the new armor and we'll have an increase in combat durability of more than three-hundred percent. Then factor in the weapons we'll be modifying for all of the ships and installing in the ones that are here and we'll have a pretty easy time handling Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance."

"Speaking of which," Oliver said as he checked something on his own tablet, "where is the _Annoyance_?"

"They went to Pegasus," Gabi replied with a shrug. "Apparently there was a Wraith lab trying to improve their hyperdrives and they were getting too close for our comfort. With the _Daedalus_ as damaged as she is, General Landry had us send in one of our teams."

"And what's the upgrade state of the _Annoyance_?" Oliver asked, now concerned about one of his teams going up against the Wraith with nothing but plasma bombs and kinetic energy weapons.

"They received the third upgrade package before they left," Gabi assured him. "They've got the particle cannons, but there's no telling how effective they'll be against the Wraith. The element of surprise should help them and they only had to destroy the lab so they should be fine."

"So they left before we got back?" Oliver asked while searching for the report in their digital files.

"No, they left for Pegasus right after we left for the Alliance lab world," Gabi said while pulling it up before he could find it himself. "Otherwise they would've participated in the raid on Memphis."

"So how long will it take for the Yard Dogs to upgrade the fleet? We can't keep Ba'al and the Alliance waiting for too long. They might lose faith in the Mimner's might."

"It'll take them a shorter amount of time than you'd think," Gabi replied in a slightly annoyed tone. She hated the whole 'impersonating aliens to protect Earth' thing. "We finally got the construction drones to work and the mining droids have been working nonstop of months now so we've got round-the-clock manpower working on the hulls and more material than we need to complete the upgrade. We're actually going to load the extra materials onto the _Savage Annihilation_ and send it to the Alpha Site in exchange for weapons tech. General Ervin will push it through to the SGC and Landry will send us the new plasma cannon designs." When she noticed the impatient look on Oliver's face, she sighed and said, "We'll be ready to move on the next target in a few weeks."

"It still impresses me that a ship that can land inside of a 304's 302 bay is this advanced," Oliver said with a shake of his head.

"Well, thank the Furlings for that one," Gabi replied.

"Speaking of which…"

"The SGC's been in constant contact with the Furling SG-1 met. They haven't found their people yet."

"Damn."

***Artemis Tau (Knossos System)***

**Therum (Orbit)**

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center) [twelve hours later]*

Therum. A volcanic world on the edge of Furling-controlled space. It was once a great center of research into natural sources of power. Now… the facility that once sat on the surface was sunken beneath the very rocks that had been its foundation. This was the planet where the Fusion Star Reactors were conceptualized. A star born inside of a specially modified chamber aboard a ship providing more power than could ever be consumed in the ship's lifetime. This was the world where the _Nex_ had been modified to its current design. This was the world where her four protostars had been made.

"_I know it's needless to point this out, but this is the thirteenth planet we've been to,"_ Widget said. _"I'm all for believing that this one was destroyed by a natural causes because the evidence suggests that it was, and maybe I'll believe that they evacuated the outer colonies, but the others?"_ The AI shook his head. _"Castosis was a warzone."_

"Then the outer colonies have been hit," Sieon said adamantly. "That doesn't mean anything."

"_Then let's stop screwing around and get to the part we both know has you worried,"_ Widget countered as he powered up the ship's FTL drive. He didn't wait for Sieon's order or argument. He knew that the organic wasn't welcome amongst his people, but if his people were no longer around they couldn't tell him to go away. If they were currently under attack, then another ship would be appreciated.

When the FTL drive fired and the ship jumped away from another lifeless planet, the AI expected to find a powerful fleet defending the home system. As such, he was ready to maneuver away from incoming fire. The _Nex_ dropped out of FTL before the organic could complain about the AI's defiance and the ship immediately shook under bombardment.

Despite its size, Widget's physical form wasn't an easy target to pin down. Pulling the ship up and into a loop, he brought the weapons online and started firing at the debris that surrounded them. Once a path was clear, he flew above the wreckage and his eyes opened wide with shock. Once the sensor-absorbing materials of broken hulls was no longer casting a net of static over the _Nex_'s sensors… he could see the extent of the damage.

Shattered ships and lifeless stations. That's all Widget's eyes could see as he looked at the carnage before him. There were no life-signs, no salvageable ships, no weapons left intact… nothing left working. The most powerful ships ever created by the Furling race, the largest space stations, the deadliest weapons… all of it lay in ruins, drifting lifelessly through space as insignificant as algae on the bottom of the ocean floor.

"I can't believe this. We should've detected the colony coming out of phase to engage them. We should've detected the battle, we should've picked up **something**!" Sieon said as his body began to glow and his eyes welled up with tears. "We have no records of this happening. The only way that could've happened is if the relay hub was the first thing destroyed. Widget, this means they're here!"

"_I know,"_ Widget replied in a dry, emotionless voice. Sieon, having been married to the women who created the most advanced model of Furling AI ever conceived, the selfsame model that served on his ship, could tell that the AI's response was forced. Despite the fact that no Human would ever be able to understand the severity of what it meant, Widget was alive in every way possible. He felt, he dreamed, he saw, he loved, and he grieved. _"What do we do now?"_ Widget asked as he shut off the higher functions of his personality matrix, the organic equivalent of suppressing his emotions.

"The only thing we can do," Sieon chocked out. "We salvage what's left then make sure no one ever uses what we miss. Even a hull fragment could drastically alter the power of the galaxy. I'll… I'll go check and see if the QBB is still intact."

The _Nex_'s internal transport grid could only be used while in the ship. The Furlings had never developed a technology capable of transporting them out of a ship and into another. Sieon, however, never needed such a technology. Mutant genes was apparently a trait of his family. One of his ancestors too far up the line for him to know their name had been the first mind reader of their people. After that, his great-times-ten grandfather had been the first Furling born a teleporter. Those genes had been passed down the family line to Sieon. The next great mutation was his brother. It always seemed to start with his family then spread to the others, though very few people were born teleporters outside of his family. Those who had the ability outside of his family were rare and almost always the result of genetic manipulation post-conception. Try as hard as he might, Krosis never did figure out how to transfer the teleportation gene without complications.

As the Furling moved around the destroyed colony using his genetics-given power, Widget actively monitored Sieon's neural activity, biotic energy levels, and body heat in an attempt to gage the organic's current state of mind. In his state of grief, it was impossible for the AI to gain any insightful information from Sieon's mind as the Furling was actively blocking the AI's probing thoughts. Nevertheless, Widget would make sure that, if Sieon attempted suicide, he would be there to prevent it. Whether the Ancients would save him or not, it was always easier to just stop it from happening in the first place.

Widget spent the rest of the day flying around the system gathering up what technology was left from the second assault by the Destroys against their people while Sieon visited several of the stations searching for something, though Widget couldn't figure out what it was the Furling could possibly be looking for in the graveyard. He had his theories, though they were dark. The leading thought running through Widget's mind was that Sieon was searching for Rana's body, a grim thought indeed as it was very likely that the Furling scientist went down with her ship defending as many innocent civilians as she could. Rana was old fashioned like that.

Sieon reappeared in the CIC as Widget finished his task. "What do we have?" he asked solemnly.

"_I finished the calculations,"_ Widget replied. _"Of the fifteen protostars created to power the defense systems, three of them will be needed to erase the colony. The other twelve have been collapsed down into storage devices and placed in one of the cargo bays. We're ready to leave."_

The Furling home colony was a massive collection of space stations and other artificial constructs. This is the way it was before they came to this universe. It was the way it was to be after the Transition. A space station built by Furling hands had been the seat of galactic government, the station located in dead space so as to not show favoritism to any one Collective. The same system was set up here, but more extensive as the ships that had been brought through during the Transition were converted from warships to stations to house the population that didn't want to settle on a new world. To defend it, more warships had been built over the years with greater technology and defense satellites covered in guns had been powered by protostars like those on the _Nex_, but larger to provide more power. All of that was gone now.

"Do it," Sieon ordered grimly.

At his order, the _Nex_ jumped back a light-year from the colony. With a salute to the fallen warriors of his race, Sieon sent the signal that would detonate the powerful generators. Once all twelve of the FSRs were onboard and safely stored away, the other protostars left over from the brutal assault that destroyed the last remnants of the once great Furling race were destabilized remotely. In one final flash, the Furling's artificial colony was consumed in the energy of three stars going supernova all at once. The immense heat vaporized what remained of their technology and eliminated the final traces of the Furling race from this universe. That was the second of the original Four Great Races to be erased from the face of the galaxy in less than a month. Sieon could only hope that the Fifth Race fared better than they had. With only the Tau'ri and the Nox left truly alive, it was daunting to be the Fifth Race.

"We're the last two now, Widget. We have to do them proud," Sieon said as Widget put his holographic hand on his shoulder.

"_I know,"_ Widget said comfortingly, his emotional programs running at minimal output capacity to keep the severity of the situation from crippling him the way he knew Sieon was bound to be. As a soldier who had suffered through great loss, Sieon was a hardened veteran, but losing one's entire race… was inexpressible. _"What did you find?"_ Widget asked as he caught the thought that was running through the organic's mind. Having a connection to him over the ship's Neural Interface Network allowed Sieon to control the ship from anywhere within the network's range. It also allowed the AI to observe his thoughts.

Sieon pulled a small black box from his pocket and held it out for the AI to see… which, of course, meant scan. _"Leave it to Rana,"_ Widget said with an amused shake of his head.

"What is it?" Sieon asked hopefully.

"_One piece of twelve,"_ Widget replied. _"Find them all, and it'll reveal a map."_

"A map to what?"

"_Her."_


	27. First Strike

The "over diversification," as one of the readers put it the last go 'round, was more a factor in my inexperience as a writer than it was any real desire to make the largest and most complicated cross-over in history. As such, the Redux only deals with Stargate SG-1, Stargate _Atlantis_, **maybe** Stargate Universe if I'm feeling adventurous, _Battlestar Galactica_ 2003, Mass Effect, and minor references to things like Skyrim and Halo. Now, when I say "minor references" I mean **MINOR** references. I still used the names of the Dragon Priests from Skyrim for some of the Furlings, but that's it. I took out the Eragon references that made no damn sense, took out the Covenant which were just annoying me because they didn't belong, and only kept the part of Halo where Earth is the UNSC. Other than those two minor things (names of the Dragon Priests and the name of the UEG/UNSC) this story is **just** Stargate, _Battlestar Galactica_, and Mass Effect.

Chapter 26

First Strike

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Dead Space (Ori Supergate)**

*Tok'ra Scout Ship (Cockpit) [a few hours after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]*

Jalen had been tasked with keeping an eye on the Ori's Great Gate, so he sat in his chair and waited. And waited. And waited. Then something happened. Two Ori Motherships dropped out of hyperspace and approached the Gate. The Great Gate activated and both ships passed through.

"This could be trouble," his Host mused.

"**I agree,"** Jalen replied as he activated their comms system and sent a message to the Tok'ra homeworld. **"Operative Jalen reporting from the Great Gate,"** he replied to the question that was about to be asked. **"I need a line to the Council."** Once the connection was established, Jalen reported the situation as it developed. **"Two Motherships arrived in the system, dialed the Gate, then proceeded through to their home galaxy. Their purpose is unknown."**

"_Keep us informed,"_ the Councilor ordered.

"**We shall,"** Jalen replied obediently.

***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***

**Lantea (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Halls) [one week after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]*

"Doctor Weir!" Doctor Keller called ahead as she jogged over to the woman in question.

"Doctor Keller. How is my head of medicine?" Doctor Weir asked in greeting.

"Uh, **acting** head of medicine, actually, and that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about…" Their conversation came to a brief pause as they entered one of the transports and were whisked away to the Control Tower.

"Hmm? What's up?" Weir asked, obviously in a good mood.

"Uh… I need to be replaced."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, after Carson…" Keller began before trailing off. "Someone had to step up and take over, and I'm glad to help out, don't get me wrong, but I'm not qualified to run a department of this size. You-you need someone… better."

With a small laugh, Weir said, "Everyone down there says you're doing great."

"Well, 'A,' I'm not sure that's true and 'B,' it's been pretty smooth sailing over the last few weeks. I think I've been lucky."

"Well, the IOA are reviewing candidates, but, to be honest, they're not that great at making quick decisions," Weir informed the woman with a smile.

"Yeah, so, a week? Two… weeks? I just haven't been sleeping very well. This whole 'being in control' thing kind of makes me anxious."

"Carson felt the same way his first few months," Weir assured her.

"I appreciate you trying to lie to me," Keller replied, somewhat put off by the thought of staying in charge.

"Look, I feel very comfortable with my life in your hands, and, at the end of the day, that means you're doing a pretty good job. Dealing with the pressure, it does get easier with time."

"Right," Keller said while releasing a calming breath. Then her panic came back. "Uh, how much time… exactly? Like, it'll get easier over the next two weeks, and then you'll replace me so I can go back to being a regular doctor?"

"I'll keep you posted," Weir replied with a private laugh.

"Thanks," Keller replied in a tone of despair.

Finally reaching the last stair case before the Control Room, Weir let out a sigh. She could already hear the argument that had her being called to aid the technicians. They were arguing about the new weapons systems. Sheppard wanted to tie the weapons directly into the city's power grid, and McKay was saying it was a waste of power. She took a deep breath to steel herself then ascended the final few stairs. There wasn't going to be a 'win' to this argument, she already knew that much.

To her relief, she entered the Control Room and Chuck called her name. "Dr. Weir?"

"Yes, Chuck?" Weir asked, hiding the fact that she was relieved to stall her forced intervention.

"The _Apollo_ just dropped out of hyperspace," Chuck informed her.

"They're ahead of schedule," Weir mused.

"Probably just trying to show off. You know, being the new ship and all," Sheppard added as he dropped the argument… for now.

"Colonel Ellis, you've made excellent time on your first voyage here," Weir said in greeting as Chuck opened a channel to the ship in orbit.

"_Thank you. I'm beaming down now,"_ Ellis replied.

"Very well, we'll…" Weir began before a flash of light deposited the Colonel in the Control Room with several other people.

"Set up in the Conference Room," Ellis ordered the people that had beamed down with him. Then he turned tow Weir and said, "Doctor," in greeting.

"Colonel," Weir replied with a small nod. "Welcome."

"Thank you. Colonel Sheppard. Dr. McKay. This is going to make things easier. I'll need to brief you all immediately," Ellis said.

"What's going on?" Weir asked.

"I'd prefer to talk in private," Ellis replied while motioning for them to join him in the Conference Room. "Ever since the Human-form Replicators made a play for the city, we've had the _Daedalus_ make regular reconnaissance fly-bys of their home planet," Ellis began explaining as everyone sat down in the seats. On the wall, a monitor turned on.

"Yes, we know," Weir replied.

"Two months ago, Colonel Caldwell took these pictures," Ellis said as the monitor displayed the images and he handed out physical copies as well.

"I'm sorry. What am I supposed to be looking at here?" Weir asked, more than a little confused.

"Nothing," Ellis replied callously.

"Excuse me?"

"This image was taken by the _Daedalus_ as they left the galaxy on their way to Earth for the refits. The photos were taken in the very same location. They're building ships. A lot of them," Ellis pushed through as a new image showed several ships highlighted on the pictures.

"Why weren't we made aware of this?" Sheppard asked.

"I'm making you aware of it now," Ellis replied coldly.

"Well, if they're coming for us, we'll have a nasty surprise waiting for them," McKay said smugly.

"They're not going to get here. I'm here to inform you that, in precisely twelve hours, the _Apollo_, in consort with your team, will launch a surgical strike on the Replicator planet," Ellis countered.

"So, what? You're going to blow up their ships?" Sheppard asked, somewhat taken aback.

"That's right," Ellis replied with a nod.

"Just like that?" Weir stressed.

"Just like that."

"How the hell do you plan on doing that?" McKay asked indignantly.

"A set of Mark-IX tactical nukes housed in a custom-made weapons platform, code name 'Horizon'."

"How many nukes do you have?" Sheppard asked.

"The Horizon carries six warheads and four decoys. I'm going to need you to do a final inspection before we head out," Ellis replied, the last part directed at McKay.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. Six?" McKay asked, more than a little stunned.

"That's right," Ellis replied casually.

"That's not enough," Sheppard countered.

"The Replicators are self-replicating robots, which means that they can…" McKay began.

"I am aware of that, thank you, Doctor, but they're not like the Milky Way Replicators. Their ships aren't built from nano-cells, they're constructed of real material that can be destroyed. Six will be more than enough for now," Ellis interrupted him.

"'For now'?" McKay stressed. "Isn't this a bit like poking a sleeping dragon? Why don't we just wait till Area 51 finishes the PWARWs?"

"Which one's that again?" Weir asked.

"Planetary-Wide Anti-Replicator Weapons," Sheppard replied with a casual dismissal of the question.

"The Asgard were capable of creating a satellite that could wipe out an entire Replicator planet. I mean, we've had some trouble making one of our own, but…" McKay again before, once again, Ellis cut him off.

"Look, would I have preferred taking out an entire planet at once? Absolutely, but this image is giving the IOA a lot of sleepless nights. The Replicators know the location of Earth, and, with these new ships, have the means to get there. We can't just sit on our hands while the guys at Area 51 try to come up with a solution. Now, this mission's primary objective is to eliminate key military targets. We'll come back and finish once the new weapon is up and running. Doctor, I'm going to need you to start your inspections as soon as possible."

"Well, yeah, sure. I just…" McKay began.

"Dr. McKay is ready to beam," Ellis said into his radio.

"Well, not actually read…" McKay began. This time it was the beam that cut him off.

"Okay. We're finished here. Thank you," Ellis said before gathering his photographs and walking out of the room.

"Can you believe this?" Weir asked, more than a little pissed. She liked the amount of supplies they were getting now that the Gate was open both ways, but the weapons going up across the city were appalling given the intended nature of _Atlantis_. This was just too much too fast.

"No," Sheppard replied in an awed tone. "It almost seems too good to be true."

"What?" Weir asked incredulously.

"Well, if those nukes do what Ellis says they do…" he began.

"Since we won back the city, we haven't heard so much as a peep from the Replicators," Weir cut him off.

"Well, obviously, they haven't gone away."

"No, but maybe they've decided that we are more trouble than we're worth, and the threat of our AR weapons is enough to keep them at bay," Weir stressed.

"You don't build that many ships to make a run at _Atlantis_. They're headed for Earth," Sheppard argued.

Fed up with her Executive Officer not agreeing with her, Weir stood from her chair and walked into the Control Room where Ellis was standing. "Colonel, may I have a word?"

"Sure," Ellis replied after looking up to see who was talking to him.

After leading the Colonel into her office, Weir said, "This mission is a mistake."

"It most certainly is not," Ellis replied matter-of-factly.

"It is an ineffectual first strike. You've got to know how dangerous that could be for us!" Weir argued.

"All due respect, Doctor, it won't be ineffectual. Besides, the IOA doesn't think we can wait."

"I think we should stall them. Try to open a round of negotiations."

"They're not a race of 'people.' They're a weapon. Try to keep that in mind."

"Weapon or not, they're sentient. Negotiating with them could buy us enough time to get that PWARW up and running. Now that the _Odyssey_'s back and we have the entire knowledge base of the Asgard, it's a matter of building and shipping one of their weapons here. With the SGC having a power source that can hold the connection, it's not even asking that much!"

"Usually, I'd be more than happy to go twelve rounds here about who's right and who's wrong, but it wouldn't matter. I have my orders, and you don't have the authority to tell me to stand down. So, again, with all due respect, ma'am… I have a mission to execute." Without another word, Ellis stood up, left her office, then beamed out of the city.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Area 51 (Shipyards)*

The intense flashes of light that illuminated the docking slip could be seen from every angle. There were welders working on the hulls of the two Battlecruisers resting in the slips around the clock. In orbit, another team was working on adding more weapons to the _Clausus Cursor_ and a fourth team was working on analyzing the Baseship that the _Odyssey_'s crew under Colonel Viride had brought back. They were making radical leaps in technology as Pac worked out how to improve the slip that was currently empty. If his methods proved useful, the other slips would be likewise upgraded. For now, however, it was a side project. Right now, the ships that needed upgrading were getting the bulk of their focus.

In the slip next to the one the _Daedalus_ was currently resting in, the _Odyssey_'s new systems were being studied. Already they were making plans to remove the Core from the _Odyssey_ and install it somewhere that a space-battle-gone-wrong wouldn't destroy the legacy of the Asgard. That process was taking longer than most people thought it would. The Core was amazingly advanced and so deeply integrated into the _Odyssey_'s systems that it was a miracle that Sam managed to shut it down at all.

That was another thing that warranted study. The Core's power source was incredibly powerful and would make a viable substitute for the ZPMs… if the matter of making the ship traceable could be solved. They were also going to set up a museum with the Asgard database as the main feature. Once the Stargate Program was disclosed, the sacrifice the Asgard made would be known to all. The museum would be a tribute the great race that had handed Earth what it needed to defeat those that would destroy them so callously.

With a rumble that made it through the thick walls, the roof above the _Odyssey_'s slip opened and the Battlecruiser, once cloaked, soared into the sky. She made orbit in less than thirty seconds then decloaked. Another technology the SGC was now pushing the Yard Dogs at Area 51 to duplicate was the ship's cloak. That would be invaluable in any situation. Samantha Carter's reproduction of Merlin's phase shifting device was also being studied and improved on. Unlike Merlin's original device, hers was designed to be used on a large scale and there was talk of taking her machine and finishing it in the hopes of taking Earth out of phase in case the shield ever failed, which brings us to the _Odyssey_'s reason for being in orbit.

The planetary defense shield consisted of a three-layered system of emitters. The primary emitters were very large satellites that could be easily seen from the surface despite their high orbit and even had room for people to walk around inside of their admittedly cramped interiors. Because of this, only six of them were made. In each was a cloaking device made by integrating a Puddle Jumper's cloaking module into the design, and a ZPM for power. The eighty meter 'shaft' was topped by an umbrella-like, six-pronged top. Each of the prongs was forty meters long and composed the actual shield emitters. These six primary emitters were maneuvered into position over strategical areas. If the sphere that is Earth were to be encased by a cube, the center of each of the six faces of the cube would represent the locations of the primary satellites. Once cloaked and put into place, the satellites would be incapable of moving on their own. The primary satellites were the 'stomach' and 'digestive system' of the PDS. They were designed to power the entire shield on their own. These had been produced by Area 51 and the _Cursor_'s matter converters to keep their designs secret while producing them quickly.

Next were the secondary satellites. Measuring in at twenty meters along the shaft and with ten meter prongs, these were a quarter of the size of the primaries and were equipped with Neutrino Ion Generators that took up their entire internal space. Because of their size, they could easily be mistaken for a regular satellite and so a cloak was considered a waste of energy. These emitters represented the 'skeletal structure' of the PDS. There were two dozen secondaries for every primary which made a total of one-hundred-forty-four. The secondaries were stationary as well and were used to make it easier for the barrier to stretch over the planet. They took the field generated by the primaries, added their own power to it, then expanded it to the next secondary until the planet was covered. Because of the need to keep the designs secret and the intricate details involved in producing a Neutrino Ion Generator, these had been produced by a joint effort of the _Odyssey_'s matter converters, the Alpha Site, and the Beta Site.

Last of all were the tertiary satellites. Being half the size of the secondaries, the tertiaries were ten meters along the shaft, with five meter prongs and were only equipped with a Mark II Naquadah Generator as the room inside had to accommodate another feature. The tertiaries formed the 'muscle' of the shield with the barrier itself being the skin, the planet the body, and the control center the brain. As the analogy would suggest, the tertiaries, unlike the other satellites, were equipped with maneuvering thrusters which occupied the unused internal space that the Mark II took up. When the planet was attacked, the purpose of the tertiaries would be to maneuver into the area that's being hit the hardest and reinforce the barrier as much as was needed. If the attack was focused on one hemisphere, the tertiaries for the entire PDS could be sent to that one spot. If the planet was being hit from multiple sides, the tertiaries could go where needed and split up as the situation required. There were two dozen tertiaries for every secondary making a total of three-thousand, four-hundred-fifty-six.

To make things easier, the tertiaries would be controlled by a new automated system Pac had worked on with Sam. He called it a VI, or Virtual Intelligence. According to the AI, VIs were dumbed-down AIs with a very limited capacity for self-thought. The VIs were task-oriented and not very good at multitasking. As a result, they can do one task so well they operate on level with an AI minus the personality, the self-awareness, the capacity for learning new skills on their own without alteration to their code, the multi-tasking ability that makes AI so useful, and, Sam's favorite thing about the VIs, they don't talk back. Still, it would make sure the shield was reinforced where needed and that's all they needed.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

Sam looked up from her tablet as she walked onto the Bridge to see Colonel Davidson sitting proudly in his command chair, Marks and Donnelly in their stations as well. "We're in position," Marks reported.

"And you're sure this will work?" Davidson asked.

"_Of course,"_ Pac replied with a beaming smile. The _Odyssey_ had already received the upgraded holo-terminals in the Bridge, so the AI, broadcasting itself from the SGC, was able to use the holographic emitters to better interact with the crew. _"This system is brilliant!"_ the AI exclaimed. _"I see why the Asgard chose you as the Fifth Race. Your people are absolutely incredible."_

"Flattery won't get you anywhere with Colonel Davidson," Sam informed the AI.

Pac blinked at her in confusion then his face changed to one of mild surprise. _"I would never!"_ he declared after, undoubtedly, looking up the meaning of the word on Webster's Online Dictionary. _"I mean every word I say."_

"Deployment has begun," Marks interrupted the duo that had become quite the miracle pair in the past week.

From the missile tubes along the _Odyssey_'s neck, the secondary satellites for this area of the planet were fired out. They glided out under the power of the temporary thrusters strapped to their hull and took up their prearranged positions. Another five stops later and the secondary satellites were all in position. All that remained were the large number of tertiaries that were still under construction. The industries on Earth capable of building their hulls were doing so while the SGC, Area 51, the Alpha Site, Beta Site, and Gamma Site all worked on building their more delicate and classified parts like the generators.

"And to think," Davidson said as he looked to Sam who had moved to the back of the Bridge to monitor the launching systems, "in a few more weeks, we'll have the entire thing operational."

"It is amazing," Sam agreed. "Especially given the timeframe. Ten years," she said with a nod to herself. "Ten years is all it took and now we have plasma cannons, ion cannons, beam weapons, shields, Naquadah Generators, Neutrino Ion Generators… I know we still can't produce them ourselves, but we have fourteen ZPMs right now. **Fourteen**!" Sam shook her head before continuing. "A planetary defense shield, we found the Lost City of _Atlantis_, met allies that are so advanced we're still studying their work," here she paused with a sad smile and a small laugh. "Thor said that this was a coming of age for humanity. I know that humanity isn't ten years old, but the Stargate Program is. We're young to be 'coming of age' already."

"Makes you think," Marks said thoughtfully. "If this is humanity at 'age ten,' what will we have accomplished by the time we're twenty? Or forty?"

"I hope we live long enough to see the answer to that question," Sam replied. "As it stands, we're still waiting for the Ori to make their move."

***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***

**Lantea (Orbit)**

*_USS Apollo_ (Missile Bay) [ten hours later]*

Staring up at the massive casing for the missile system that hung above them, Zelenka said, "Well, the specs check out and we've loaded the target information. They're ready."

"Yep. It's good to go," McKay agreed. Then, with a sigh, he added, "This is a bad idea, isn't it?"

"We could tell them they're not ready. You know, there's a fault in the guidance system or something," Zelenka offered.

"I thought about that. They're going to have guys here to contradict us pretty quickly," McKay shot back dismissively.

"Yeah… but we're here alone. We could **make** them not ready," Zelenka continued.

"They're building an armada, Radek," McKay said with another sigh. "I saw them. They showed me the pictures. I'd feel pretty stupid if we break this thing only to have the Replicators show up and destroy the city.

"Yeah. Yeah, that would be bad," Zelenka agreed with a sad nod.

"I'll tell the Colonel we're good to go," McKay said, a note of sadness to his voice as well.

***Pegasus Galaxy (Asuran Territory)***

**Asuras (En Route)**

*_USS Apollo_ (Auxiliary Control Room) [two hours later]*

McKay was moving from one person's terminal to another, checking readouts. Finally satisfied, he hit his earpiece. "All right. Horizon is online, the warheads are armed, and we are ready for final sequencing as soon as we drop out of hyperspace.

"_Start now,"_ Ellis ordered over the radio. _"Open the bomb bay doors."_

"We're still in hyperspace," McKay argued.

"_We're coming out of our jump uncomfortably close to the planet. I don't want to waste any time. Just get it done,"_ Ellis ordered again.

"Well, you're the boss," McKay replied with a sigh. After pressing a few buttons on the appropriate terminal, the Missile Bay doors opened to reveal the swirling tunnel of subspace. A beep alerted him to the increasing radiation levels in the Missile Bay and McKay pressed another series of buttons to activate a containment field that would stop the radiation from spreading. He mentally noted that the _Apollo_, having never had an Asgard aboard, didn't have the automated programming to activate the field on its own. He'd have to fix that later. "Ready to launch on your command. You're sure about this, right? I mean, like, this is the right thing to do?"

"_Not the best time for that kind of talk, Doctor,"_ Ellis countered.

"Right. Sorry," McKay replied with a roll of his eyes.

"_Coming out of hyperspace in five… four…three… two… one…"_ Major Sara, the _Apollo_'s helmswoman, reported over the ship's internal network. _"Mark."_

The _Apollo_ dropped out of hyperspace and Ellis immediately ordered, _"Launch the Horizon."_

With one last breath to steady himself, McKay pressed the order to fire the massive missile carrying bombs that they never should've invented. Nevertheless, the Asurans were gearing up for war and **something** had to be done.

The Horizon missile dropped from the open doors of the Missile Bay. Its afterburner ignited and the missile flew towards the surface. Once it reached a set altitude and the heat of atmospheric reentry was no longer a threat to the nuclear bombs held within, the casing broke into separate sections, the warheads separated from the missile, and flew off to their designated targets. A few seconds later, explosions bloomed on the surface. Atomic clouds in the separate locations grew high into the atmosphere.

McKay and Zelenka shared mutual looks of regret before McKay looked down at his terminal. "We have detonation confirmation on all six warheads."

"_Sheppard, you have a go for launch,"_ Ellis informed the Colonel.

"_Copy that,"_ Sheppard replied as the Jumper slipped out of the 302 bay and cloaked. _"I'm clear. Jump away."_

"_We'll pick you up in an hour,"_ Ellis informed the Colonel before addressing the helmsman. _"Get us out of here."_

***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***

**Lantea (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Conference Room) [one hour later]*

Zelenka and McKay stood in front of a monitor showing footage of the Horizon explosions with Ellis and Sheppard standing nearby. "There is so much radiation interference, it's hard to get an accurate yield calculation from the scan telemetry," Zelenka informed the Colonels.

"Please, there is more than enough data. It's not like we're trying to take out a person, here. We're talking about massive chunks of a city," McKay countered.

"Someone, just please tell me if we hit our targets or not," Ellis demanded.

"All right, if this data is right… then all of your primaries and most of your secondaries have been incinerated," McKay replied.

"Excellent," Ellis said before leaving the room.

"Huh," McKay huffed as Sheppard followed the Colonel out of the room. "He's a ray of sunshine if ever there was one."

Sheppard made it the top of the stairs before he noticed Weir walking towards him. "Welcome back," Weir said somewhat awkwardly.

"Thanks," Sheppard replied in kind.

"I hear congratulations are in order."

"Yeah, you heard right."

"How was the mission? Was it a success?" Teyla asked as she and Ronon walked up behind Weir.

"We did get all the ships," Sheppard replied.

"I wish I could've been there to see it," Ronon said.

"Space battles are always a lot more exciting on TV than they are in real life," Sheppard assured them. "That, and it wasn't really a battle."

"Dr. Weir! You're going to want to see this! We've got a contact, just came out of hyperspace!" Chuck called from the Control Room.

"Is it broadcasting IFF?" Weir asked as the group ran up behind him.

"No, ma'am," Chuck replied, his tone obviously worried.

"Wraith?" Ronon asked.

"It's very small. I doubt it," the technician replied uncertainly.

"Raise the shield," Weir ordered as the small object approached the planet.

"It's taken up a geo-synchronous orbit above the city," Amelia reported.

"What is it?" Teyla asked.

"Maybe we should have the _Apollo_ check it out," Sheppard suggested.

With a nod, Weir opened a channel to the _Apollo_. "Colonel Ellis," she began.

"_We already en route,"_ Ellis cut her off.

**Lantea (Orbit)**

*_USS Apollo_ (Bridge)*

"It's right ahead of us, sir," Sara reported.

"Shields?" Ellis asked as he took his seat.

"Affirmative. Shields are up," Sara replied.

"Okay, I've got a visual," Ellis reported to the city below. "It looks like a satellite of some sort." As he gave his report, the satellite shifted in orbit and his view of it was altered. As it came around and 'faced' the _Apollo_, Ellis was shocked to see a Stargate in the middle of the satellite. Shaking off his surprise, Ellis said, "It's a Stargate."

"_A Stargate?"_ Sheppard asked.

"That's right," Ellis replied.

"_I thought you said it was a satellite?"_

"It's both. It's a satellite, but in the middle, there's a Stargate."

"_What could be the purpose of that?"_ Weir asked without expecting an answer.

"_No idea,"_ McKay, nevertheless, replied.

"It just activated!" Ellis reported as the unstable vortex settled back into the event horizon.

"_The Gate?"_ Sheppard asked.

Ellis was about to reply when a red beam shot out of the Gate and slammed into the _Apollo_'s shields. Sparks flew from the consuls around the room and Ellis ordered, "Get us away from it!"

"Sir, the satellite is turning again," Sara reported.

"_It's hitting the planet!"_ Chuck reported over the still open channel.

Steam rose from the oceans as the beam moved across the water. Its target was clear… it was headed straight for _Atlantis_.

"_It's a sustained beam!"_ Chuck reported as the city shook under the barrage before settling again.

"_That is bad for a dozen different reasons!"_ McKay needless informed them all.

As she retreated from the satellite, the _Apollo_ fired off a barrage of missiles. The missiles impacted the satellite, a shield harmlessly absorbing the thermonuclear detonations. "It's protected by a shield," Ellis said more to himself than the people on the planet below. "Give me some options, McKay!"

"_The shield's taking its power from the beam. I registered a slight drop in output when you fired on it,"_ McKay reported.

"Could I get a nuke past the shield?" Ellis asked.

"_No. Probably not,"_ the scientist replied irritably.

"_I'll get in the chair and give it everything we've got. Maybe that'll collapse the shield,"_ Sheppard said.

"_I said slight! As in point-zero-zero-two. I doubt any amount of firepower is going to collapse it while that beam is active,"_ McKay argued.

"Sir, we used to think the same thing about the Ori," Ellis' tactical officer, Major Dell Porter, suggested.

With a determined nod, Ellis ordered, "Open fire, all batteries."

The sixteen, brand-new plasma cannons freshly produced by the Gamma Site and fully operational powered up and let loose. A second later, the four ion cannons mounted on the hangar bays, two slung under each bay, joined in. Then the plasma beams' capacitors were fully charged and the beams joined the fray. Last but not least, the coaxial ion cannon finished its charge sequence and fired.

The plasma bolts had little to no effect against the powerful shield. The ion cannons rattled its orbit, but otherwise the satellite was fine. The plasma beams caused the shields to flare brightly and fluctuate wildly, but, again, they seemed to have little to no real effect. Then the coaxial ion cannon fired.

It was designed by the Asgard to be a lower yield option to the plasma beams, but with more potential. A beam was a beam and the capacitor could only hold so much energy, but the coaxial ion cannon's power was proportionate to the length of the axis it was mounted on. A ship the size of an _O'Neill_ would have a drastically more powerful shot because the ionic energy would have more time in the acceleration chamber. Because of this, the cannon had more kick than any other weapon on the recently completed and highly modified Battlecruiser.

The coaxial ion cannon round slammed into the satellite's shield and the satellite was shoved off course by a few dozen meters. Its beam went wild as the satellite tried to stabilize its orbit and the red beam went wide as a result. The stress was taken off the city, but now it had a new target.

"The satellite is adjusting its aim!" Sara reported. No sooner had she finished saying it then the satellite's beam struck the _Apollo_ and more sparks erupted from the terminals in the back. Somebody really needed to work out a way to keep that from happening.

"Report!" Ellis roared.

"Shields are falling fast. We're at eighty percent… seventy percent… sixty percent," Sara replied.

"Engineering, give the shields everything you've got!" Ellis ordered.

"_Aye, sir!"_ Novak, currently on loan from the _Daedalus_ while the ship was being upgraded, replied.

"Shields are back up to seventy percent, but we're still losing them fast!" Sara reported.

"Dell?" Ellis asked, a hint of fear in his tone.

"Their shield is fluctuating, sir," he reported, "but this is a war of attrition and I'm not sure we can win it."

"_Colonel, you're not doing enough!"_ McKay shouted over the line to get the Colonel's attention.

"We're giving it all we've got!" Ellis argued.

"_Yes, and it's not enough,"_ McKay said again.

"_Then we'll join them,"_ Sheppard said before the man walked off. Weir called after him, but to no avail.

"Shields are at fifty percent," Sara reported.

"Sir, incoming weapons fire from the surface," Dell added as _Atlantis_' new surface-to-orbit ion cannons fired en mass. With the city's powerful sensors grid, targeting was easy even given the distance and the interference the beam's energy was causing for the _Apollo_'s own sensors.

"Shields are at forty percent! I've got hull breaches on decks three, four, five, and seven," Sara shouted as more energy started bleeding through the barrier. "Sir, we need to withdraw!"

"Novak, divert all available power to the shields, weapons included," Ellis ordered in a defeated tone. Turning to Sara he added, "Get us out of here, Major."

"That's it!" Dell said in an inspired tone. "Sara, get us behind the beam."

_Atlantis_ kept up the pressure, her ion cannons slamming into the satellite's shields, as the _Apollo_ gunner her engines and fled. The satellite didn't change targets back to the city. It swept its beam through space, the energy barely missing the shield. Then Sara changed their course and took them right for it. As the _Apollo_ barreled towards the killer satellite, the beam had trouble keeping up with them until the ship roared past the far smaller object. No longer in the line of fire, Sara tore open the fabric of reality and took the ship into subspace.

**Lantea (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Conference Room)*

"The _Apollo_ just jumped into hyperspace," Amelia reported.

"Satellite is retargeting _Atlantis_," Chuck added.

"The _Apollo_'s back," Amelia continued as the beam hit the city again. When the beam went wild again and the satellite dropped lower into orbit, she added, "They're forcing the satellite down!"

Another round slammed into the shielded satellite and its orbit was degraded further. The fourth round clipped the satellite in such a way that the satellite started flipping through the air out of control, the beam spitting lethal energy in all directions as the satellite lost control. As the heat of reentry started to drain the shield and its orbit became unrecoverable, the _Apollo_ switched power away from the coaxial ion cannon and fired the only weapon they had they knew could kill an Ori Mothership. Beams of blue energy stressed the shield in tandem with the stresses of reentry and the beam shut off entirely to provide more power for the shield.

The bright streaking of the satellite's rapid entry was out-shinned by the _Apollo_'s shields burning like a glorious halo as the ship chased the satellite down, firing the whole way. The Battlecruiser broke off a few hundred meters above the ocean and the satellite crashed into the water. A round of cheers went up in the Control Room and across the city as the _Apollo_ flew towards them. Then the beam shot out of the water and hit the small ship again. Gunning her engines for the second time in the battle against a Stargate strapped to a satellite, the _Apollo_ flew around _Atlantis_ and let the city's far more powerful shield intercept the beam.

"Well that was short-lived," McKay griped. Running a scan of the ocean floor, McKay laughed and said, "It's stuck! The satellite is stuck pointing in one direction."

"One direction means a very limited angle…" Zelenka pointed out.

"Which means it can't chase us anymore!" McKay finished. Snapping his fingers as he so often did, McKay ordered, "Move us out of the beam's path!"

"You got it, Doctor," Chuck replied as the city started moving across the surface of the ocean. As the city's outer most point moved past the satellite's range, the red beam of death shot into space… then it shut off again.

"Subspace rupture!" Amelia announced.

"Dial the Gate!" McKay roared. Chuck didn't waste time asking which planet to dial. He just hit the first buttons that came to mind. A second later the Gate activated and the Control Room was cast into an uneasy silence.

"Rodney? What's going on?" Weir finally asked.

"They're back!" Amelia announced as the satellite reappeared in orbit.

"I'm not sure, but we just bought ourselves thirty-six minutes to figure it out," McKay replied as his heart rate slowly went back to normal. "What planet did you dial?" McKay asked.

Chuck looked over his terminal before replying. "New Athos," he informed them.

"Okay. Everyone give me five minutes without questions," McKay demanded as he started looking over the terminals in the room.

"Colonel Ellis, how are things on your end?" Weir asked into the comms system.

"_We've taken some damage, but nothing too concerning. The armor the Asgard gave us can really take a beating, and having a ZPM for the shield helped a lot,"_ Ellis replied.

"Wait," McKay interrupted them. "That's it! Colonel, get up there and give that satellite everything you've got!"

"_We've already established that everything we've got isn't enough to crack that shield,"_ Ellis pointed out.

"That's when it's drawing power from the beam. Look, it's essentially a stripped down ship. It's got a hyperdrive, a navigational system, and a shield. Without the ZedPM on the other side pumping power through to sustain it, the shield won't be anywhere near as powerful as it was. **Now** you can compare it to our belief that the Ori were invincible," McKay explained smugly.

"_Alright, Doctor, we're on our way,"_ Ellis replied as the _Apollo_ broke through the atmosphere and opened fire on the satellite.

From his place manning the sensors, after having ran up from the control chair, Sheppard said, "Their shield is buckling!"

"Subspace rupture," Amelia announced as the satellite jumped away. "They're gone."

"That's not good," McKay said worriedly.

"Why is that not good?" Weir asked.

"_They got away intact,"_ Ellis replied.

"What? No, not that. I mean, that's not good, but that's not what I was talking about," McKay countered. "That thing has a heavily modified Stargate that's capable of overriding _Atlantis_' control crystal. Look," he said in an irritated tone when no one understood what he meant, "we figured out a long time ago that, when there are two Gates on the same planet, whichever one was put there first is the 'Home Gate.' Whenever a wormhole is dialed in, it connects to the Home Gate before any other Gate. That Stargate just broke that rule. To do that, you have to have a newer model Gate. A Pegasus Gate taken to Earth would override the SGC's Stargate so that any incoming wormholes would connect to it. To do that to a Pegasus Gate, you'd need _Atlantis_' master control crystal. To do that to _Atlantis_, you'd have to…"

"Build a newer Gate," Weir realized. "It's the Replicators!"

"I hope so," McKay replied.

"You hope so?" Teyla asked.

"It's either them or we've discovered another super powerful enemy. That, and, if it is them, we know what they're capable of. They have the means of producing an unlimited number of ZedPMs. Stargate Command has faced attacks like this before in the past. If you channel enough energy through a Stargate, you can keep it open indefinitely. If the _Apollo_ hadn't have forced the satellite out of orbit, forty minutes from now we'd still be under attack. I'm certain that jumping into hyperspace and cutting off the Gate was the last thing they wanted to do, but we forced it to happen and now we've got the upper hand. For the next thirty… three minutes, they can't attack us. That being said, I can guarantee you that they'll be back and dialing in to pick up their attack the **exact** moment our Gate shuts down."

"_They can do that?"_ Ellis asked.

"You said it yourself, Colonel. They're weapons, not people. They calculate things faster than we can think them," Weir replied. "It was dumb luck that we managed to get this far."

"I disagree," Amelia countered. "The Replicators couldn't have known what advances Earth has made in the past few weeks. There's no way they could've planned for the _Apollo_'s upgrades. It's more than luck, Doctor."

"So what do we do?" Weir asked.

"We could cloak the city," Zelenka suggested.

"Sweeping the beam across the planet near our last known location would eventually find us and the shield would be offline so we'd be screwed, moving while cloaked would give us away that much faster since the waves we'd create would be impossible to hide, and moving to another part of the planet then cloaking still leaves them with an infinite Gate connection and a weapon with limitless power sweeping across the planet looking for us," McKay shot back.

"Then we could submerge the city. That would, at least, attenuate the beam's energy during the next attack."

"I'd rather avoid the part where we get attacked again," Weir replied.

"We know from experience that three ZedPMs can hold back the oceans for ten-thousand years, yes," McKay said, ignoring Weir entirely, "but Wraith weapons are nowhere near that powerful as this satellite. A sustained beam would cut through the water with a great deal of efficiency. Combined with the weight of the ocean, we'd probably end up taxing the shield **more** by submerging it. Not to mention, the Replicators just learned a lot about us. They know the _Apollo_'s a threat, but they also know that _Atlantis_ has weapons. If I were them, there'd be sensors on that satellite which means they probably know we have all three ZedPMs powering the city."

"Which means they'll respond accordingly," Zelenka added in a tone of defeat.

"What do you mean?" Weir asked.

"Right now, it's a battle of three ZedPMs versus one. They only used one because they're patient and only one is needed to power the Gate, the beam, and the shield. With a simple matter of waiting, they could destroy _Atlantis_ given enough time. Even with three ZedPMs, the shield will only hold as long as the ZedPMs have a charge. Once their ZedPM get low, they'll switch it out. We don't have that luxury," McKay replied.

"And the Replicators will add more ZPMs to the beam," Zelenka added.

"Which means?" Sheppard asked.

"Which means that, the next time they fire on the city, it'll be with the force of multiple ZedPMs instead of just one, the shield will be depleted that much faster, and we will die that much sooner," McKay shot back.

"Which brings me back to my point," Weir injected forcefully. "I'd rather avoid the part where we get attacked again."

"It's a beam coming from an object in orbit…" McKay began to argue before trailing off. He snapped his figures excitedly and started looking through the database.

"Are you going to finish that sentence?" Sheppard asked.

"It's a beam coming from an object in orbit. As such, even if we're under water or cloaked, there is nowhere on the face of this planet that that thing cannot get us."

"You don't think…" Weir began.

"Yes," McKay answered the half-asked question.

"Is the stardrive too banged up?" Weir asked.

"No, the Replicators fixed all the damage we did with the drones. We just need a new planet," McKay replied without looking up.

"But ideally…" Weir began, again McKay cutting her off.

"It may be the only way," McKay finished.

"_What?"_ Ellis asked.

"Got it," McKay said as he brought up a database entry of a planet with a large ocean and no native populace.

"_What's going on?"_ Ellis asked. Not being present for their ramblings meant he had no idea what the people were doing as they spoke.

"We're leaving," Sheppard replied smugly as he caught onto what the other two meant.

"_Leaving?"_

"Now that's the best idea I've heard all day," Chuck said with a smile.

Hitting the city's internal comms, Weir said, "May I have your attention? As you all know, we have found ourselves in a spot of trouble. The reality is, that no matter where we try to hide on this planet, the Replicator satellite will be able to find us. They have already told us they're a patient race, and I'm not willing to risk everyone's lives testing that claim. Therefore, Dr. McKay has come up with a rather ingenious way for us to escape the satellite's range altogether. In the next few minutes, we will fire the city's stardrive and head into space. _Atlantis_ is leaving this planet."

"Just one problem," McKay said. "It'll take us more than thirty minutes to get the systems ready and everything valuable strapped down. We're going to need a diversion."

"You want the _Apollo_ to fight the satellite again?" Sheppard asked.

"_Would someone lower the shield so I can beam down?"_ Ellis asked irritably.

"Is it safe?" Weir asked.

"Sure, but do we really want him down here?" McKay replied.

"Rodney," Weir said in warning.

"Fine," McKay said with a huff as he lowered the shield. Colonel Ellis appeared a second later.

"So what's the plan here?" Ellis asked.

"We need the _Apollo_ to go back to Asuras and destroy their Gate facility. If we do that, it'll force them to build another Gate to shot the beam through, or they'll have to steal one from another world. Either way, it buys us the half hour we need on top of the half hour we have. That hour will give us all the time we need to break orbit and jump into hyperspace before they can dial in again, but the attack does have to happen right as our Gate goes offline. Destroying theirs while it's active will amplify the explosive force by several magnitudes. When SG-1 detonated a Mark IX next to an active Gate, it covered seventy percent of the target planet. That would buy us some **serious** time!" McKay explained.

"We don't have a Mark IX," Ellis countered.

"Then we just need to get one," Weir said matter-of-factly. "Amelia, where's the satellite?"

"A few light seconds away," the woman replied after checking their long ranged sensors.

"If the _Apollo_ launches now and attacks the satellite, would we be able to dial Stargate Command before they can get into orbit and dial in?"

"We'd be cutting it close," Chuck replied. "They'll send that satellite our way the moment they so much as think the Gate's been shut down, and it takes longer to dial eight chevrons than it does to dial seven."

"So dialing Earth, requesting the Mark IX, then having them dial in before the Asurans can wouldn't work?" Weir asked.

"No, it wouldn't," Chuck replied. "Stargate Command uses a supercomputer to dial its Gate. Their dialing process is slower than everyone else's because of it, but we've used the computer to override the Gate's core functions on more than one occasion. Long story short, they wouldn't be able to finish dialing in before the Replicators could."

"And even if we dialed them and requested the bomb, the _Odyssey_ would be four days out," Ariella added.

"What about the _Cursor_?" Sheppard asked. "They gave it a ZPM and Asgard ships are faster than ours by default. Would that work?"

"We don't need a Mark IX," Ellis interrupted them. "It would have the largest yield, yes, but that's not the point of this. We don't **need** to destroy seventy percent of their planet, we just need to destroy the Gate facility. Personally, I would love to have a copy of the weapon Anubis had on his flagship. Shooting their Gate **through a pyramid** with that thing outright destroyed Abydos."

"Whatever the plan is, we need to figure it out as soon as possible. We'll start tying down anything valuable, but once they dial in, that beam will start taxing the shield. If they amp up the power, it's possible the strain will be too much for the ZPMs to power the shield to hold it back **and** power the engines," McKay interrupted.

"Stargate Command is currently gearing up for a full-on assault at the hands of the Ori. They won't send another ship out of the galaxy, and wouldn't have sent the _Apollo_ if the Replicators hadn't been building ships. The _Cursor_ won't be coming, but we don't really need it. If the _Odyssey_ can destroy an Ori Mothership, than the _Apollo_ can take on a few Replicator ships. The plan is as Doctor McKay said, but without the Mark IX. We'll hit them a Mark VIII instead," Ellis replied.

"The Mark IX wasn't designed to destroy hostile ships," McKay countered in an annoyed tone. "The Mark III through VIII **were**. Using the Mark IXs like you did, while useful, goes against their given purpose. They were designed **specifically** to destroy an active Gate because nothing short of a Mark IX **can** destroy an active Gate. If you don't destroy the Gate, the plan fails."

"Then what do you propose, Doctor?" Ellis asked.

***Perseus Nebula (Aralakh System)***

**Fourth Planet from Aralakh (Surface)**

*Unknown City (Outskirts)*

The dark robed figure moved like a shadow from one place to another. Most avoided it. Some dared to look at it. Very few stood their ground against it. It had purpose. It moved with that purpose. That purpose took it to the Great Temple. It ascended the stairs and guards stood in its way.

'_I don't think your plan is working here,'_ Widget said in Sieon mind.

'_Then we go to Plan B,'_ Sieon replied with a sigh. Shrugging his shoulders, Sieon let the robe that covered his armored form fall away. No longer hindered by it, he raised his hands, body glowing, and reduced the duo of guards to atoms drifting in the breeze. That got him noticed.

Plasma rounds slammed into his back, his barrier easily redirecting the energy away from his body. Ignoring the locals who were simply firing to say they helped to avoid the wrath of the Goa'uld who lorded over them, Sieon marched into the temple. As more Jaffa came running at him with weapons raised, his body glowed and gravity shifted. All around him, anything not bolted to the floor drifted into the air. Then, with a sickening crunch, it all came back down with the force of falling from orbit. Blood spatter coated the walls, the floor, and ceiling in equal measure as the Furling walked past the dead without slowing, his black armor now painted crimson.

In the next room, he gathered his biotics in his hand and fired a mass of swirling energy into the ceiling. As everyone and everything in the room was pulled towards the Singularity, he gathered a Warp in his other hand and threw the matter disruption bomb into the heart of the swirling mass. The explosion that resulted blew the ceiling into the room above, killing the Jaffa there as well, before debris rained down into the room he was in. Anything that would've crushed him either crumbled before it could hit him, or froze in the air as gravity obeyed his will. With a shifting of gravity and the lessening of his mass, Sieon rose into the air and ascended the first level of the temple. One floor down, another forty-nine to go.

Sieon, still floating in the air, looked around himself then shrugged to no one in particular. He gathered the energy of his body into his hand until the buildup of power was too great for him to contain. Then he raised his hand and fired a beam of dark matter into the ceiling above him. Flying up as the beam ate through the materials that composed the temple and made room for him, Sieon ascended the temple to the very top then stopped as he came to a hover before the Goa'uld who lived within, his hair and any loose fabric on his armor flowing around him like seaweed in the waves as entropic energy radiated off of his body.

He looked first to the Goa'uld, then to the small black box sitting beside him. "You have something I want," Sieon said in Goa'uld as he drifted down and his feet touched the floor.

"**And what makes you think you're entitled to that which is mine?"** the Goa'uld asked darkly.

"Do you truly wish to test the nonexistent power of your pathetic race against mine?" Sieon shot back with venom and force. "We both know the Goa'uld are nothing more than parasitic imposters. You are mortal. I have lived longer than you could possibly imagine. Now, I can either kill you and take what I want, or I can take what I want and leave."

"**You can try, creature, but you will find that the power of the Goa'uld is far from nonexist…"** the Goa'uld began before Sieon raised his hand.

The Host's face twisted into a mask of pain as a biotic field tore away at his insides. Finally the suffering stopped and the man collapsed out of the throne chair and vomited. Present in the bile was the warped remains of the symbiote's head. "What… what did you do?" the man asked.

"Destroyed that which is the Goa'uld," Sieon replied.

"Thank you," the man gasped. "Thank you!"

Largely ignoring the man's praising, Sieon walked over to the device he sought and grabbed the fourth of the data recorders Rana had scattered across the galaxy. Something was wrong with this one. It felt… light. Sieon looked around the Throne Room and made sure this was the only object matching the description Widget had given him then allowed his eyes to linger on the man before him. Leaving him would assure the man's death by torture, so he grabbed the man under the arm and teleported back to the shuttle that was waiting in orbit. The shuttle then jumped into FTL and appeared next to the _Nex_ which was waiting in the void between systems.

"_How'd it go?"_ Widget asked as Sieon docked the shuttle then appeared in the CIC.

"Something's wrong," Sieon replied as held out the data recorder, the man behind him looking around in awe. Since the two Furlings were speaking the language native to them, the man was left standing to the side confused as to what was going on.

"_It's a fake,"_ Widget informed him after a minor scan. Upon further scanning, he found something… interesting. _"I know this technology,"_ Widget mused.

"What technology?" Sieon asked.

"_There's a microchip in the casing. It's similar to a Tau'ri memory unit."_

"Then the Tau'ri have the box?"

"_No,"_ Widget replied as he hacked into the memory unit. _"I said it's __**similar**__ to a Tau'ri memory unit. There's a file on the card. It's… it's a message written in Furling."_

"How does that make sense?"

"_Because this isn't a search for twelve pieces of a map, it's a search for twelve pieces of a computer that reveals the map,"_ Widget replied as a line of text appeared in holographic form in front of Sieon.

To Those Who Made This,

We owe you much in the way of thanks. The technology you have provided has given a helpless alliance what it needed to survive the wrath of those infinitely their greater. If this is ever recovered by one who can read this, then we wish to say that you are welcome amongst our people. We are where you left It.

"Where 'who' left 'what'?" Sieon asked, more than a little frustrated.

"_Where Rana left the computer that reads the data on the memory units,"_ Widget replied. _"They found the computer."_

"Now the question is…" Sieon began.

"_Who's 'they'?"_ Widget finished with a nod. _"And who's he?"_ he then added in Goa'uld to save the man the suffering of not knowing.

"He used to be a Goa'uld," Sieon replied absently. "I figured the Tok'ra would take him if not the people of Earth. I wasn't about to leave him there to die."

"_Nice to see you taking in new people and __**not**__ dropping them in the Brig,"_ Widget said with a smirk.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Sieon asked.

"_Nope,"_ Widget replied before leading the man out of the room, the two conversing in Goa'uld since it was the only language the man knew.

***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***

**Lantea (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Control Room)*

"_Alright, Doctor, we're in position,"_ Colonel Ellis replied. _"Are you sure these modifications will work?"_

"Sure, just don't expect them to last. You're going to lose your weapons systems with the first shot," McKay replied.

"_What?!"_ Ellis exclaimed.

"But the Gate will be destroyed and that's all that matters," McKay assured him.

"The Gate's shutting down in three…" Chuck began.

"The satellite's back," Amelia announced.

"Two…"

"_Opening fire,"_ Sheppard reported as the ion cannons started hammering away at the satellite. That part was, for obvious reasons, just for show. The Replicators had to believe they were still trying to fight.

"One…"

"It's not enough," Zelenka informed Sheppard though both men already knew it wouldn't be.

"That's it!" Chuck finished as the Gate shut off.

"They've dialed in," Amelia said.

"And… we're hit," Chuck finished as the city shook under their feet as the beam pushed its massive bulk down into the water. This time, however, the shaking was far more severe.

"I told you they'd add more power to the beam," McKay mumbled.

As the city stabilized beneath them, Weir said, "You have a go. Destroy the Gate then get the hell out of there! We'll meet you at the new planet."

"_Copy that. Firing now,"_ Ellis replied.

McKay wished he could see what it looked like. They had scrapped all of the _Apollo_'s beam weapons and used them to make on, longer-sustained beam by splicing the capacitors together. All the Replicators would see was a ship in orbit shooting them with ion and plasma cannons. Then the beam would hit the Gate. One beam held for ten seconds. That's how long it would take to saturate the naquadah in the Gate enough to overload it. It's also how long the modified weapon would last before the _Apollo_ lost beam weapons entirely to the unavoidable overload.

"_That's it, their Gate is gone,"_ Ellis reported.

An explosion in orbit caught their attention as the energy of one Gate overloading being channeled through another caused both to be destroyed. The satellite broke apart in orbit and Amelia smiled. That hadn't been the plan, but it worked to their advantage. Now the Asurans would need another satellite, and **two** Stargates to try that again. One of which they'd have to produce themselves to bypass _Atlantis_' control crystal.

"Well, that bought us an entire day at least," McKay said with a smug smile.

"The _Apollo_ has cleared our airspace. Are we ready?" Weir asked.

"Not yet," McKay replied in an annoyed tone. "They're still strapping down some of the more vital stuff we can't risk toppling over during reentry. We'll be ready to move in twenty minutes, and we have a day to get off-world undetected."

*_Atlantis_ (Control Room) [twenty-five minutes later]*

"You ready, John?" Weir asked.

"_Ready as I'll ever be,"_ Sheppard replied from his place in the Control Chair. _"What about you?"_

"We're ready on our end. Fire the stardrive," McKay ordered.

As Sheppard focused on the city's engines, steam rose into the air en mass as the city's powerful engines flared to life and the ocean boiled around them. In the Control Chair, Sheppard focused his attention with his eyes closed and took the city up until they broke free of the planet's gravity well.

With a grunt of effort, Sheppard said, _"I'm taking us into hyperspace."_ There was a lurch as the stardrive that hadn't been used in God only knows how long tore open the fabric of space and entered the realm of subspace. _"We did it,"_ Sheppard breathed a sigh of relief as the city barreled through subspace.

*_Atlantis_ (Control Room) [one hour later]*

They were in hyperspace for an hour, the first of three that would be spent in hyperspace, and McKay was running another diagnostic on the stardrive. "How's it holding up?" Weir asked.

"Well, we're moving at about ten percent of our maximum speed, but that's because we don't want to push the engines too far too fast. It looks like the Replicators really did us a favor when they kicked the Ancients out of the city. They actually **upgraded** the stardrive."

"Nice to know something good came out of that," Weir said with a smile.

"You mean other than the three ZedPMs we got? Without that raid, the Artic Outpost and the _Odyssey_ wouldn't have gotten their ZedPMs and the _Odyssey_ would likely have been destroyed by now."

"Ma'am, I'm picking up a distress signal," Chuck interrupted them.

"A distress signal?" Weir asked. "From who?"

"I don't know, ma'am, but they're broadcasting on our IFF frequencies.

"Where are they?"

"A few light seconds off of our current course. It looks like they're over a Wraith lab world."

"Not just any Wraith lab world," McKay said as he read over the screen. "That's the lab where the Wraith were improving their hyperdrives. With the _Daedalus_ as damaged as she was, we couldn't do anything about it."

"I remember General Landry saying he would get a ship in orbit as soon as possible, but that wouldn't be now. Not with the Ori coming," Weir said with a look of confusion. "You think they're in trouble?"

"They wouldn't be broadcasting a distress signal if they weren't," Amelia replied.

"John, drop us out of hyperspace," Weir ordered.

"_What?"_ John asked, confused as he was not privy to what was happening.

"We've picked up a distress signal," Weir replied.

***Pegasus Galaxy (Wraith Territory)***

**Wraith Lab World (Orbit)**

*_Relentless Annoyance_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Sir, we've got two unknowns inbound," the navigational officer reported.

"Shut off the signal," Colonel Walter McMillan ordered.

"Distress call is offline," the comms officer reported.

"Orders, sir?" the tactical officer asked.

"Get ready to run," Walter ordered.

To emphasize his point, a hyperspace window opened and a Wraith Hiveship dropped out of subspace. "They're scanning for us," the Colonel's Executive Officer reported.

"We knew this would be a risk," Walter replied. "What's the status of the hyperdrive?"

"Still unresponsive," the lead technician reported. "We can't fix her without more parts."

"Then we're stranded here until a friendlier species than the Wraith comes to help us," Walter said with a determined nod.

"Sir, the second unknown is…" the navigator began before they all went silent.

"That's a massive hyper…" another technician began before a city dropped out of the massive hyperspace window.

"Is that…?" Lieutenant Colonel Maria Weber, Walter's Executive Officer, half-asked.

*_Atlantis_ (Control Room)*

"Wraith Hive, dead ahead," Chuck reported.

"Sheppard!" Weir began.

"_I see 'em,"_ Sheppard replied.

A second later, the city's ion cannon turrets came online and opened fire on the Hive. As the Hive and the city closed on one another, the plasma cannons added their fire into the mix. The city had several weapon emplacements, but they weren't fully installed yet. Only a third of what was scheduled to be added had been, and, of those, only half of them were actually able to be controlled by the Chair. Still, it was more than enough to eliminate a Hive without the beam weapons or the unnecessary depletion of their limited drone reserves.

From his spot on the balcony, Ronon came back into the Control Room with a smile on his face. "That was cool," he said as the remains of the Hive rained down into the atmosphere of the planet they were now orbiting.

"We're being hailed," Chuck announced as the Hive broke apart under bombardment.

"Put them on," Weir ordered. When a Human face appeared on the screen, Weir had to admit she was surprised. Then again, most life in the universe seemed to be Human. "I'm Doctor Elizabeth Weir, leader of the _Atlantis_ Expedition. To whom am I speaking?"

"_I'm not sure I know how to answer that question, Doctor,"_ the man replied. _"Or, I should say, I'm not sure you'd believe the answer. I'd like to say that I'm Colonel Walter McMillan, born and raised on Earth, but I'm not sure I would be talking about __**your**__ Earth."_

***Pegasus Galaxy (Unclaimed Territory)***

**New Lantea (Orbit)**

*_Atlantis_ (Weir's Office) [two-and-a-half hours later]*

"I have to say, that is quite the story," Weir said as she stood up to leave her office. The Colonel followed behind her as she made her way to the Control Room. Getting the small ship the Colonel's team owned through their shield had involved dropping the city into breathable atmosphere, lowering the shield, taking on the ship, raising the shield, then finally getting back into hyperspace. In the end, it had added an extra half hour to their travel time. "We've had encounters with people from alternate realties before, but nothing like this."

"'Alternate reality.' Right," McKay huffed as the duo walked past them.

"Doctor McKay, if I was from your Earth, I assure you that your people would be as well-off as mine. My ship may be small, but it still packs enough punch to take on three Wraith Cruisers. Do you have particle cannons?"

"No," McKay replied, "but we do have…"

"Do you have anti-proton thrusters? Do you have honest-to-god laser beams? What about dark matter drive cores?" When McKay fell silent, the man finished by saying, "Our technology base is different from yours because we're not from **your** Earth. Everything we have is based off of the technology of another universe. Where I come from, Doctor Weir is dead, General Richard Woolsey leads the _Atlantis_ Expedition, you were thrown in prison for selling Ancient technology on the galactic black market, the _Korolev_ survived the battle of the Supergate and the _Odyssey_ was destroyed, Earth was invaded and conquered by a race of sentient machines, and several other key factors that lead me to believe that your reality is not mine."

"We're entering the atmosphere," Chuck reported while trying to hide the surprise in his voice. That last one was one hell of a difference.

"I'll leave you to your work. I need to go inform my crew that we won't be going home any time soon," Colonel McMillan said before saluting Weir and walking off.

"That was strange," Weir said.

"**General** Woolsey?" Amelia asked.

"I am so glad I don't live in their reality," McKay added.

"What's the matter, Rodney? Afraid of a little jail time?" Weir asked with a smile as they dropped into the atmosphere.

"You wouldn't want to live there, either," he pointed out. "You'd already be dead."


	28. Bad Feelings

Chapter 27

Bad Feelings

***Pegasus Galaxy (Lantean Territory)***

**New Lantea (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Control Room) [a few hours after _Atlantis_ arrived on New Lantea]*

"_Alternate realities,"_ Landry said with a shake of his head. _"I've had my fair share of dealing with them."_

"I heard about that," Weir replied as she remembered reading the report on the situation in question. That many SG-1s in one place at once… that must've been a nightmare.

"_Have they said anything about where they come from?"_

"Nothing overly useful, no. All I've managed to get out of them is that they were stranded here after taking damage from a battle against three Cruisers. It would appear their hyperspace window was struck by an explosion and it forced them here… to be honest, the technical terms went over my head."

"_And what are you doing with them?"_

"Loaning them some supplies," Weir replied honestly as she stepped onto the balcony that overlooked the city. She had a tablet computer in her hands, the feed to Landry connected to it for convenience. "They're attempting to conduct repairs to their ship. Their CO, Colonel McMillan, says that they'll have to rebuild the hyperdrive virtually from scratch."

"_McMillan?"_ Landry asked. _"__**Walter**__ McMillan?"_

"You know him?" Weir answered his question with her own.

"_We used to serve together,"_ Landry replied with a distant edge to his voice. _"Can you show me their ship?"_ Weir replied by switching her tablet's camera around before zooming in on the small ship that sat on the eastern pier. _"Huh,"_ Landry mused. _"We have allies that use a similar ship design."_

"The Mimner," Weir said with a nod as she flipped the camera back around.

"_It would appear they're allies with them in their reality as well. That ought to settle a few nervous minds over at the IOA."_

"So helping them is fine by you?"

"_By all means, Doctor. They've done nothing to deserve ill contempt from us. Just remember, there's to be no trading of weapons technology without explicit permission from those with the authorization to allow it. If all they need is a new hyperdrive, help them get it made then send them off. They're doubtlessly needed back home."_

"And what **is** the situation back home, General?" Weir asked as she walked back towards her office.

"_We received a message from the Tok'ra informing us that the last two Ori Motherships in the galaxy departed for their own earlier last week. They've made the first move, now we wait."_

"Is there any way to cutoff the Supergate and trap them out of the galaxy?"

"_We've spent the last week trying,"_ Landry replied in a frustrated tone. _"The _Odyssey_ just got back from our last attempt to disable the Gate a few hours ago. Hell, we even tried uploading a Furling computer virus into their systems and the AI told us that the Gate wasn't capable of receiving signals."_

"Then how do they dial it?" Weir asked, more than a little stunned.

"_Carter thinks the Priors use their minds to do it. That leaves us unable to cut them off without duplicating the Pegasus Project, but there's not even a guarantee that'll work. We got lucky the last time, and I doubt we'll get lucky again."_

"Then it really will come down to a firefight."

"_A firefight in orbit of Earth,"_ Landry stressed. _"Carter says that trying to hold them at the Gate would be a mistake. We tried that before, and it didn't work out in our favor. Even with the advances we have now, we don't know how many ships to expect. At least at Earth, they'll have the Artic Outpost to back them up."_

"And the PDS will help," Weir agreed with a nod.

"_So would _Atlantis_,"_ Landry said as Weir walked through the Control Room.

"If you need us, General, we'll be there," Weir replied with a determined nod, her words earning her a few approving nods from the technicians at their stations.

"_That's good to hear. We'll switch the _Apollo_ out with the _Daedalus_ and leave you with Caldwell so we can get the _Apollo_'s weapons rebuilt. If the Ori show up in the next three days, being towed by _Atlantis_ will get whichever ship is in the galaxy with you here faster than making the jump on their own."_

"And if they come before then?" Weir asked, dreading the answer.

"_You better pray they don't, Elizabeth. The _Odyssey_ is the only ship we have that's fully upgraded. The _Apollo_ was launched early to keep the Replicators from becoming a threat. If they had attacked us now…"_ Landry trailed off, shaking his head at the situation they were in. _"The _Daedalus_ is missing half her hull and the half she has is the part we're getting rid of, the _Cursor_ is a week out from being completely upgraded, and the _Apollo_ is missing half of the secondary systems we had slated for her upgrades in addition to the damage Doctor McKay's adjustments caused. If they attack within the next week and a half, our forces won't be ready."_

"What about the _Devastator_ and the _Ares_?" Weir asked, more than a little shocked by the timeframe they were operating under.

"_There's only so much we can do to the _Devastator_. As disturbing as it is to think about, Ba'al was close to perfecting that ship before the Impolans stole it. As for the _Ares_… she's a fighter carrier, a troop transport, a means of invading a planet with overwhelming ground forces. She was never designed to take a fleet, much less a fleet of Ori Motherships. If she participates in the battle, it'll be to repel any enemy ground forces, and if it gets that far we'll be in trouble."_

"We're going to have to disclose the Stargate Program, aren't we?" Weir asked, dreading the answer.

"_Only if we do this right,"_ Landry replied solemnly. _"If we fail… there won't be an Earth left to disclose it to."_

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (AI Room) [two weeks after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]*

"What's the problem?" Landry asked as he walked into the room to find Sam lying on her back looking up into a holographic projection of the galaxy like a kid watching the stars. In the map above her, certain areas were highlighted.

Stopping mid-question, Sam looked up to Landry and hastily stood to her feet to stand at attention. "Sir," she said before Landry told her to be at ease. "It's not really a problem, it's just something that's been bothering me. We've gotten reports from the Free Jaffa Nation of a mysterious figure with three fingers on its hands and god-like powers taking down several minor Goa'uld. During the attacks, only one thing was missing worthy of notice, if only because it's the same thing every time."

"_All of the minor Goa'uld were in possession of a small black box with an unknown purpose, and I can confirm that, to a race as brainwashed as the Jaffa, biotics would appear god-like,"_ Pac picked up as his avatar replaced the map. _"Master Bra'tac was kind enough to send us a copy of a scan they took of the one such device that was stolen from their own treasure troves a few hours ago."_

As the AI said this, a small object appeared in his hand, obviously a projection… a projection of something Landry knew all too well. _'The Black Bunker,'_ Landry thought breathlessly to himself. Looking up to meet the AI's gaze, Landry asked, "And what's that?"

"_As far as I can tell, it's a Furling data recorder. I keep trying to ask Widget what's going on, but he keeps shutting me out every time I do. Something has happened that's gotten him worked up, and from what I gained during a brief period of access to the _Nex_'s internal sensors, Sieon is currently in a state of severe depression."_

"How does he block you out?" Sam asked. "Aren't you, essentially, him?"

"_It's like having a clone,"_ Pac replied. _"Just because you physically look the same doesn't mean you're neurologically identical. In this case, Widget is… AIs are supercomputers and Widget's mind is a city of server banks,"_ Pac restarted when he realized his line of reasoning wouldn't be understood. A holographic image of the _Nex_'s AI Core appeared in place of his body and Sam let out a low whistle at what had to be more processing power than all of Earth's computers combined. _"And this is me,"_ Pac continued as an insignificant dot appeared beside the servers.

"_To attempt to hack his mind would be like a single person trying to control the entirety of Earth's World Wide Web. It's impossible because my mind is smaller and has significantly less processing power. I was designed to help you improve your ships, he was designed to organize the AIs, VIs, viruses, electronic warfare suites, and other computer programs of an entire species during a time of war. I'm trapped in one computer, he has access to a network of galaxy-spanning satellites. I'm stuck in a Human computer while operating under Furling code, he's in a Furling computer operating off of Furling code so his body is more compatible with his mind than mine is. He can delete me without exerting measurable effort. Blocking me out of his mind is nothing compared to what he could do to me!"_

"You're afraid of him?" Sam asked, a little off put by the idea.

"_Hell yeah I am!"_ Pac exclaimed as his avatar reappeared with a look on his face that said, 'why would you ask a question with such an obvious answer?' _"I fear him the same way you fear the Ori. He can kill me and we both know it."_

"Would he?" Landry asked.

"_If I tried to breach his firewalls? Probably, but it'd be out of reflex. If I tried to kill an innocent person? Definitely, and he'd make my death as painful as he could."_

Landry shook the funk of contemplating an AI fearing death out of his head and asked, "Can you get me a channel to the _Nex_? I'd like to know why Sieon's stealing from our allies."

"_I've tried that already too. Whatever it is that happened has Widget shaken and Sieon depressed… I think that, when they went looking for the Furlings, they found the same thing you did. Empty worlds with no signs of life. It's the only thing I can think of that would have these effects on the two of them."_

"You're saying the Furlings are gone?" Sam asked.

"_I'm not sure,"_ Pac replied sternly. _"They won't tell me anything. At any rate, if the Furlings __**were**__ gone, then Sieon would've come back to Earth to help you defend it. He's out there __**searching**__ for something. I don't know what,"_ he added when Sam was about to ask the question, _"but it's important enough to him to warrant the attention that showing off powers no one's ever seen before tends to bring down on you."_

***Pegasus Galaxy (Lantean Territory)***

**New Lantea (Surface)**

*_Relentless Annoyance_ (Combat Information Center) [two and a half weeks after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]*

The _Relentless Annoyance_ was resting on _Atlantis_'s East Pier, her repairs finally completed. "Doctor, we're ready to leave," Colonel McMillan assured Doctor Weir over the radio, the woman saying they didn't have to leave if they weren't done repairing the ships yet. "Whatever happened to your man, we'll figure it out."

"_Godspeed, Colonel,"_ Weir said, a note of worry in her voice.

"Helm, plot a course for the coordinates and take us out. Let's start her off at twenty percent and increase from there," Walter ordered.

Behind him, Doctor Rodney McKay paced back and forth nervously. The _Apollo_ had left for Earth to finish her upgrades while the _Daedalus_ was en route and estimated at two days out. Having a ZPM powering the hyperdrives of both ships really helped speed things along, but Sheppard was missing now and needed rescue **now**! With any luck, the Ori would hold off their attack long enough for things in Pegasus to settle down a bit. In the past week, they'd met some of Ronon's old friends, been attacked by an alien life-form that lived in a crystal and killed you in your dreams, and then, because that wasn't enough for one week, Colonel Sheppard had been abducted by unknowns on his way back to _Atlantis_. On the bright side, the _Relentless Annoyance_ was, once again, hyperspace capable and Walter had volunteered their services. It was the least they could for the help given in repairing their hyperdrive.

"How's it going?" McKay asked nervously.

"The hyperdrive's performing within safe parameters. We're dialing it up now," the helmswoman replied. "At our current rate of acceleration, we'll reach top speed in a few minutes and be on site in half an hour. Let's just hope that Colonel Sheppard is either alone or with allies when we get there."

Twenty-seven minutes later, the small ship dropped out of hyperspace a few sub-light minutes from the target and engaged its cloak before going in at full speed. As the sensors got a clear image of what was ahead, the tactical officer started giving his report.

"Sir, we're detecting a shi…"

"What is it?" Walter asked when the man trailed off.

"It's an _Aurora_-class Ancient Warship!" McKay replied in the same, awe-filled tone.

"Chalk one up for Sheppard," Major Lorne said with a grin on his face, his team tagging along in case they encountered trouble.

"What's their status?" Walter asked.

"They've stopped broadcasting the distress signal, I'm picking up debris from a Wraith Cruiser nearby, strength of the radiation signature indicates a recent kill, and the ship has sustained heavy damaged on multiple fronts. It looks like the CIC has been completely destroyed, their subspace communications are damaged, and their main reactor is leaking high levels of lethal radiation," McKay rattled off.

"Sir, I'm detecting Wraith life-signs onboard," the helmsman reported. "Attempts to hail the ship are getting no reply, but it looks like the hangar is open and pressurized."

"Will we fit?"

"It'll be a tight squeeze, but yes, sir, we should."

"Take us in," Walter ordered. "Major Lorne, get your team ready."

***Pegasus Galaxy (Wraith Territory)***

**Dead Space (Edge of Unknown Solar System)**

*Unnamed _Aurora_-class Ancient Warship (Corridor) [a few minutes later]*

Larrin ran around the corner as fast as her legs would carry her and was rather embarrassed when she tripped over nothing. Oh, wait. That was a foot… Halfway between the beginning of her fall and her meeting with the ground, a pair of strong hands grabbed her by the back of her shirt and outright tossed her down the hallway. Another figure waiting at the end of her flight caught her in its arms and spun around a corner. Her back was pinned to the wall with a heavy metal suit of armor making escape impossible. Then her ears were assaulted by the firing of several high powered rifles.

When the firing finally stopped, the figure pinning her down let off the pressure and Larrin took in the sight of the eight, heavily armored and well-armed figures standing with smoking guns at the end of the hallway and silently swore to herself. These weren't her people.

That fact was confirmed when one of them touched the side of its head and a voice filled the ship's halls. They had hacked into the ship's internal wireless network with the press of a button!

"Colonel Sheppard, report your position," the voice demanded from both the ship's speakers and one of the figures before her.

"_Who the hell is this?"_ Sheppard shot back. _"Larrin, we had we deal!"_

"This isn't my doing, Sheppard," Larrin practically growled in reply.

"He's in the Drone Chair Room," another of the metal-clad figures informed them. "Now he's moving to the Auxiliary Control Room. No doubt he's trying to shut off the ship's systems."

"Let's move," the leader of the group ordered. "Bring her," he then added over his shoulder.

Larrin spun on her heel and aimed high… only for her fist to meet a solid metal helmet covering the figure's face. That hurt. **A lot!** "Are you done?" the armored figure asked her in a deep, reverberating voice. Without waiting for an answer, the man twisted her arms behind her back and secured her wrists with a restraint before shoving her down the hall after the rest of the people on the ship.

"How far out are we?" the leader asked.

"Two minutes," another replied after looking at a small computer on their arm.

"And Sheppard?"

"Thirty seconds ahead of us."

"That's more than enough time to shut the ship down and lock us out," another said.

Larrin was beginning to think that maybe these weren't Sheppard's people after all.

"It won't be a problem," the leader assured the others.

They arrived in the Auxiliary Control Room just as Sheppard was finishing with the shutdown procedures. The lights across the ship blinked off and the generators died with an audible whir. Sheppard raised his stolen energy magnum threateningly, but the armored figures seemed to give him pause. The leader ignored the man and walked up to the console that controlled the ship's generators. He placed his hand on the console, and the ship immediately came to life around them. Stepping away from the console, the leader approached Sheppard while another of the figures walked up to the now active console and started bringing more systems online than just the lights and power.

Once again hitting the side of his head, the leader said, "We've secured the ship, Doctor, you can come aboard now. Make your way to the Auxiliary Control Room. We'll be waiting for you there."

"_Copy that,"_ a new voice replied from the speakers on the man's armor.

This voice had an effect on Sheppard that Larrin didn't predict.

He lowered his weapon with a look of shock and asked, "Colonel?"

"Do you know of anyone else with the ATA gene that would risk saving your sorry ass?" the leader of the armored figures replied somewhat darkly. Apparently Sheppard and this guy weren't friends.

"Sorry, sir, it's been a strange couple of days," Sheppard said in a respectful tone.

A few minutes later, a pudgy man arrived surrounded by more men with guns, but minus the suits of armor, and started working on the ship. At that point, Larrin was escorted to the Brig. Standing outside of her cell with a smile on his face, Sheppard asked, "Like your new accommodations? I picked them out myself."

"So your people got here first, big deal," Larrin replied darkly. "You're still outnumbered."

"Yeah, but I've seen your ships and you've already admitted that they're falling apart. I'm sure we can handle whatever you throw at us considering our ships are top of the line," Sheppard boasted.

"This isn't going to end well for you, Sheppard. My people **need** this ship. You just **want** it. We'll fight harder for it than you're willing to because this ship offers our people something we haven't had in a long time. Hope," Larrin argued.

"Yeah, but hope does jack-shit against weaponized plasma and ion cannons!" Sheppard replied angrily before leaving the room.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Third Gas Giant from the Star (Lunar Orbit)**

*Zeta Site (Gate Room)*

"_Unscheduled off-world activation! Defense teams to ready positions!"_ the leading Gate technician on the Zeta Site ordered. _"Receiving IDC, it's Zeta-2."_

"Open her up!" Oliver ordered at a shout, his rifle pressed to his shoulder. Not having grabbed his earpiece on his way here was obviously a mistake.

Nevertheless, the technician opened the Iris and Zeta-2 came running through the Gate. Predictably, Ry was the last person to stumble through the Gate, his body glowing as he projected a barrier to deflect the staggering amount of incoming fire away from his people. With a thud of force and a blur of motion, Jack was in front of him, her own barrier taking the strain off of his tired form. Ry fell to his knees as the energy left his body and the Iris slid back into place. Only then did Jack let her own barrier fall, a hand wiping a trail of blood away from her nose. There was the characteristic thud, thud, thud, of objects impacting the solid metal plates that served as their Iris. Finally, after ten minutes of near constant thudding, the Gate shut down and the Iris retracted again.

"What the hell happened?" Oliver asked when the threat was finally over.

"We failed," Six replied darkly.

"Ba'al now has an entire fleet equipped with nothing but the Needle Threader variant of Death Glider. His plan is to get a Gate past Ptah's defenses and send in an aerial assault that coincides with an attack from orbit. Such a strategy will be most effective given the current state of Ptah's forces," Ry explained further.

"It's worse than that," Gigi added. "Ptah's like Ba'al in that he realizes when he's beat. Right now, Ba'al is trying to keep Ptah from becoming a threat by eliminating him before he can mobilize, but Ba'al doesn't know what we do. If Ptah so much as **thinks** he's losing Memphis, he'll launch his flagship and disappear from the face of the known galaxy. He'll be a snake in the weeds and we won't find him again until he's mobilized against either us or Ba'al, but we know he'll move against Earth first to secure the loyalty of the other System Lords."

"When can we expect him to mobilize?" Oliver asked as he slipped his rifle back onto his back.

"Given that Ba'al will most likely blame this attack on Ptah himself?" Gigi asked rhetorically as she thought it over in her head. Logistics was one of her specialties and one of the reasons she was assigned to the Zeta Initiative in the first place. "Factor in the speed of Ba'al's ships, the need for a new Gate for the assault, what we know of his plans, leave room for a few unknowns thrown into the mix…" Gigi rattled off in a rushed and not truly legible manner. "It'll take Ba'al roughly a week and a half, to two weeks to get his forces ready. After that, it'll take another five days for him to get his fleet into position for the assault, so… anywhere from two, to two and a half weeks."

"Then it's time for us to get our allies moving," Oliver said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Six countered.

"We need to get Landry to deploy the _Ares_ against Ptah at the same moment that Ba'al makes his move. Ba'al will ally himself with the Tau'ri if it means the downfall of an enemy he despises even more than us, and it gives us a chance to give Ba'al a reason to leave us alone."

"You want to tip our hand before we're truly ready? And what about the Ori?"

"The Ori assault on Earth can happen at any moment. With any luck, it'll begin after we're done eliminating Ptah as a threat."

"And if Ba'al turns on the _Ares_ the moment the joint mission is over? Landry won't deploy a **carrier** without a warship to defend it, and O'Neill won't authorize the launch of another 304 until the Ori have been dealt with."

"Then we'll be sitting in orbit under cloak. We'll hold off Ba'al's forces long enough for the _Ares_ to get into hyperspace."

"And what if the Ori land ground forces?" Ry asked. "General Landry will not authorize the launch of a ship carrying Earth's most advanced ground forces when the threat of a ground invasion is as real for Earth as it will be during the presumed full-scale orbital assault."

"We're still assuming a lot there," Oliver countered. "For all we know, the Ori have fled this galaxy in fear. They might take years before they've built up enough of a force to take us on, and we'll be building up in that same time. Right now, our prime directive is the same as it's always been. Keep the Goa'uld and the Lucian Alliance so focused on each other they can't be bothered with Earth. Ptah and Ba'al fall under that mandate. If either of them makes a move on Earth while we are still preparing for an assault by the Ori, then our defenses will be stressed all the more. The Zeta Initiative was created to prevent that from becoming an issue. The Lucian Alliance has been quiet lately, but Ba'al is only getting more aggressive. We need to give him something other than Earth to think about right now, and Ptah is the perfect distraction."

"That doesn't justify sending our men to fight against Jaffa with Ba'al as backup and no warships to defend their carrier!" Six argued. 

"The _Savage Annihilation_ can take on Ptah's Ha'tak while outnumbered in the extreme," Gabi countered as she entered the conversation that had started in the Gate Room and continued even as they approached the shipyards. This meant that they passed her lab making a lot of noise and drew her attention. "Ba'al doesn't have the same advancements Ptah does, and we'll have upgraded the fleet to the fifth iteration by the time Ba'al's ready to move. They won't have one warships defending them, they'll have all the ships the Mimner is willing to spare in their defense. To the people at the Alpha Site, it'll be another act of kindness from a loose ally that's trying desperately to get on Earth's good side. To Landry, it'll be us doing our job."

"We're not in this for the glory, people, we're in it because…" Oliver began.

"Because half of us are criminals wanted by more than twenty countries on Earth and Landry offered us amnesty in exchange for service," Six interrupted him.

"Is that why you're here, Lieutenant?" Oliver asked as he turned to the man in question.

"Don't act like you're the one here with a high horse, Colonnello," Derek shot back venomously. "You're only here because you were blackmailed into joining. If you didn't join the Zeta Initiative, your son would be dead. That's the only reason you're here and we all know it. The difference between us is that I'm admitting that I'm here for less than admirable reasons. Even your dear Gabi was only brought in because she hacked Stargate Command's computers in the name of an eco-terrorists group!"

"'Beloved'?" Gabi asked with a confused look on her face. "There's nothing between me and Oliver!"

"And what does that have to do with the matter at hand?" Gigi asked, more than a little surprised at how drastically the conversation had changed. "We're discussing the logic of deploying a carrier with a cloaked fleet, not the reasons we're here!"

"Honestly, I can't see anything wrong with your plan, other than the fact that we might need both the _Ares_ and the SRs to help defend Earth," Gabi added.

"EXACTLY!" Derek all but shouted.

"Don't act like that was your point!" Gigi shot back with an annoyed look on her face. "What you said had nothing to do with the topic up for discussion."

Derek mumbled something in Russian under his breath at that, but, by now, they were all used to being confused by his roundabout way of saying things. In all reality, what he had said made perfect sense… to him. It just didn't make sense to anyone else. Most of what he said was 'lost in translation,' so to speak, because English was a hard language for him to learn. Oliver could respect that. The English language was dreadfully confusing when compared to most others. There were too many words that all said the same things, and using different words with synonymous meanings was often frowned upon. The strictures on sentence structure made virtually no sense to a non-native speaker of the language and most Americans couldn't even keep up with their own grammar laws to begin with! No, Oliver much rather preferred the simpler languages like Italian, Latin, and Japanese. English was just too complicated.

"Where's Jeramie?" Oliver asked as he looked around their group and realized they were missing their resident tactician.

He then slapped himself in the face, a 'face-palm' as the Americans called it, and walked off in the direction of the lounge. When in doubt, always look for the nearest chess board. Sure enough, there he was playing against his 'not-wife.' Three years of being cut off from Earth and all of the regulations that were imposed on them had led to several rule changes. They kept the basic code of ethics that most of the Armed Forces of Earth used, but rules against fraternization had been thrown out the window. When there's only two-hundred people grouped together and cut off from their homes for a projected five years, you just didn't bother telling them not to get attached. You just made sure they had what they needed to keep kids from running around. That would be bad for a dozen different reasons.

"We need a professional opinion," Oliver announced as their group of nearly twenty walked into the room.

"His or mine?" Tara asked.

"All opinions are welcome," Oliver replied as he grabbed a chair and pulled it up to their table, the others taking seats around the room while Ry stood close behind Oliver so that the ranking military members were the ones clustered the closest together. "We're discussing talking Landry into sending the _Ares_ up against Ptah at the same time that Ba'al sends his fleet to launch a dual, orbital/ground attack. With our help, Ba'al would succeed in defeating an enemy we know hates the Tau'ri. We'd also give Ba'al a reason to rethink attacking Earth."

"The _Ares_ isn't a warship," Tara pointed out.

"That's where we come in. We'll send our ships along with the _Ares_ under cloak since we all know Landry and O'Neill won't send a 304 with an Ori attack eminent."

"And what if the _Ares_ and the SRs are needed at Earth?" Jeramie asked.

With a sigh, Oliver said, "That's where we met a stalemate."

"I say we let Ba'al slug it out with Ptah and assist Earth," Derek announced.

"He just didn't word it that way the first time," Gabi added.

"The problem there is that, if Ba'al succeeds in getting a Gate past the planetary defense shield and launches a swarm of Needle Threaders into the atmosphere, Ptah will launch his undestroyed flagship and either beat Ba'al if it's as powerful as Anubis', or he'll simply run and we'll never find him again until he's launched his own all-out assault on Earth," Gigi argued.

"Hmm…" Jeramie mused as he moved one of his pieces across the board. 

Tara immediately countered by moving her own and declaring, "Check."

Jeramie moved his King out of the way, let his 'not-wife' make her move, then finally replied. "I see the point of both arguments, but what you're both failing to realize is that Oliver's plan is pointless if General Landry can't be convinced to launch the ship. If you want to declare a winner," he continued before moving his Pawn into position, requesting his Queen be returned, then declaring, "Check Mate," before finishing his train of thought. "Then you need to talk to Landry, Hammond, and O'Neill before you start making battle plans that involve assists that aren't under our ability to control. Short of stealing the _Ares_ and forcing the crew to help us, Landry's word is the only way Oliver's plan is even feasible. Get Landry to agree with one party or the other, **then** we'll iron out the kinks in whatever plan we decide on."

***Pegasus Galaxy (Wraith Territory)***

**Dead Space (Edge of Unknown Solar System)**

*Unnamed _Aurora_-class Ancient Warship (Auxiliary Control Room)*

The tech specialists that had come over with Colonel McMillan's team were incredible! Even given that they were Alternate Realityinites (yet another 'amazing' name given to something by the infamous Lieutenant-Colonel Sheppard who just couldn't leave well enough alone), their equipment was truly advanced. They had computers strapped to the gauntlet of their armor that had more processing power than McKay's tablet, and Colonel McMillan's ATA gene was almost as strong as General O'Neill's. Given that it, just like Rodney's, was an artificial marker, for it to be stronger than Sheppard's natural gene was impressive. Clearly the sciences used by the Alternate Realityinites was better than their own. That would explain why the ship was coming online so much quicker than Rodney would've been able to do all on his own.

Only a couple hours into the work and already the radiation leaking from the drive core had been reduced to more easily manageable levels. This allowed the suited figures to enter areas previously sealed off due to the lethal levels of radiation. Between the reduced radiation and the armor they wore, the Alternate Realityinites could survive in the areas for a few hours at a time before their armor needed to be scrubbed clean with radiation absorbent materials that had been flash-forged on their ship by a matter converter. That was another really cool thing that the ship had that Sheppard wanted.

His train of thought was broken when an alarm started going off. "What's that?" Sheppard asked.

"Subspace ruptures," one of the Alternate Realityinites replied.

"Hyperspace windows," Rodney clarified. "Three ships just dropped out of hyperspace and are taking up position around us."

"We're being hailed," the Alternate Realityinite reported.

"Open a one-way channel. Listen only," Colonel McMillan ordered.

"_Larrin, respond,"_ a gruff sounding voice ordered.

"Can we fool them into thinking the transmitters are damaged?" Sheppard asked.

"Considering that they **are** damaged, I don't see why not," McKay replied.

"Hold on, I'm picking up another transmission signal. It's weaker than the ship-based one, probably a personal radio of some kind," one of the Alternate Realityinites reported.

She pressed a few buttons and a new conversation joined the first. _"__Larrin, it's good to hear from you again,"_ a man said.

"_Believe me, I feel the same way. How did you find us?"_ Larrin asked.

"_We were monitoring communications before you jumped into hyperspace,"_ the man replied.

"_You knew he took the ship?"_

"_It seemed fairly obvious. We guessed his priority would be to contact his people, so we sent probes to all the Space Gates in the vicinity of our previous position. Eventually, we detected your energy signature."_

"Can you jam the signal?" Colonel McMillan asked.

"I'm on it," the female replied as she frantically typed commands into the computer on her armor.

"_Well done. Now, I want you to send over as many security personnel as you can. They've taken the ship in force and I don't know how many of them there are. The hangar bay should still…"_ Larrin's voice was cut off as a red line started to run up and down the woman's back.

"You have a jammer built into your armor?" McKay asked in a tone of surprise.

"Why not? It keeps your enemy from calling for reinforcements," the woman replied.

"You people impress me more and more with each passing hour," Sheppard remarked with a smile.

"Sir, they've responded to the signal being jammed by launching several boarding craft," the woman informed them.

Hitting the radio in his ear, because his helmet was currently sitting on a terminal in the back, Walter ordered, "Prep the ship for launch and beam me over on my mark." Turning to the woman working on the ship, he added, "Get the shields online and give them all the power you can. Focus your efforts on the hyperdrive and get the ship ready to move." Then he hit his radio one more time.

The Colonel disappeared in a flash of light and the doors to the hangar bay opened as the shield was brought to full power. "What are we looking at here?" Sheppard asked.

"Shields are at forty percent and that's all I the power I can give them. Everything's been shut off but the life-support in this room and the Brig, and your teams are on their way back to us now. Once they've reported in, the only rooms kept pressurized will be this one and Larrin's cell."

"What about your men?" McKay asked.

"Our suits have an independent oxygen supply. It'll last them long enough for this battle to end favorably. In case that claim ends up being false, they're moving to secure the hangar bay as we speak and the _Relentless Annoyance_ is launching to counter their advance."

"I don't suppose there's a scenario in here that plays out with us **not** killing them?" Sheppard asked.

"That is entirely up to them," the woman replied coldly. "Colonel McMillan will only open fire if they don't respond favorably to his hails. You want there to be no bloodshed? I suggest you convince their leader to get them to stand down."

"What is one ship going to do against three?" McKay asked as their guardian rose to meet the incoming threat.

"You'd be surprised," the woman replied in a neutral tone.

"_This is Colonel Walter McMillan of the Lantean Strike Craft the _Relentless Annoyance_. You will stand down or you will be fired upon."_

"_What can you hope to do against us, Lantean?"_ the male from earlier challenged. _"You are one against many."_

"_Believe me when I say that you do not want to learn the capabilities of this ship the hard way,"_ Walter replied in a threatening tone. The swarm of twenty shuttles approached the small ship that stood between them and the damaged Lantean Warship. At only a few meters away from the tip of her nose, they scattered and swarmed around it to open up the firing lanes. The capital ships opened fire, their energy cannons harmlessly impacting the shield of the much smaller ship.

With a world-weary sigh, Colonel McMillan ordered, _"Prime the GARDIAN array and target their shuttles."_

Red beams of hyper-focused, super-heated rays of light impacted the shuttles and simply melted the hull away until their reactors were breached by the beam of red death. Six of these weapons were mounted on the small ship, all of them on the part of the ship that curved like a half-cylinder and formed the main section. The other weapons were all on the wings except for the gun that was clearly coming out of the underside of the nose.

As the first ten shuttles disappeared in balls of fire and the _Relentless Annoyance_ showed no signs of stopping its defense, Sheppard said, "They're only trying to get this ship because their people live in space and they need the room to expand! They don't have the resources to build more!"

"Then they should've headed our warnings," the woman replied in an uncaring voice.

"They kidnapped you and you're sticking up for them?" McKay asked, more than a little shocked. Then his facial features shifted and he asked, "She's hot, isn't she?" in an accusational tone.

"That's not the point, Rodney!" Sheppard argued. "They just wanted room to expand!"

"They shouldn't have taken our people to get it. If they wanted help, they should've asked," the woman shot back as the last of the shuttles slipped past the _Relentless Annoyance_ as her guns entered a brief cool down cycle. "Three boarding craft inbound," the woman reported into the comms system that their suits were linked to.

Sheppard saw the logic in that. It kept Larrin from knowing her people were onboard. "You're going to kill them, aren't you?" he asked.

"Only if they refuse to stand down," she replied in that same, detached tone. This woman was obviously and disturbingly use to seeing an entire species die out.

"What the hell happened to you that you're so cold?" Sheppard asked.

"We lost Earth," the woman replied darkly, "because people like **you** wanted to make peace even after the enemy attacked. They came in force and all that was left of our people was sent through the Gate to live on _Atlantis_. That's how few there were leftover after people like you failed to do what needed to be done. The entire Human population could fit in one damned city!" the woman replied in a tone so dark it made the room feel smaller. "And I'll be damned if I let that happen again."

"People **like** me?" Sheppard asked indignantly.

"They trusted you with the weapons platform in Antarctica, but you ignored direct orders to open fire. Because of you, Earth was lost," the woman replied. Her tone was tight, like she was trying not to strangle him, but she had stopped advancing towards him. That only made the unspoken threat all the more menacing. "When we got through to _Atlantis_, Woolsey put a bullet through your head. We held an award ceremony an hour later and gave him a medal for his efforts in securing the future of the Human race."

Turning back to her terminal, the woman then added, "They can't get through the shield to board us, that's good."

"Not as good as you'd think," McKay countered. "They're retargeting. Incoming fire!" Impacts to the ship's shields caused the hull to vibrate under their feet. Sparks flew from a terminal nearby and Sheppard ran over to shut down the damaged system. "Shields are down to thirty percent."

"Can we boost the power?" Sheppard asked.

"I've already given the shields every last ounce of power this ship can produce without sacrificing all of your lives," the woman replied. "Should it become necessary, I'll disable life-support entirely to gain a few more seconds of shield power."

"Why are they attacking us? I thought they wanted the ship!" McKay shouted over the noise of another terminal overloading.

"They have to collapse the shield to board the ship and that's a risky move. As far as they're concerned, a few hull breaches just open up more avenues for boarding," the woman replied. Hitting her radio, she reported to her Commanding Officer. "Sir, I need you to take out their weapons."

"How are they going to do that?" McKay asked incredulously. To answer his question, the _Relentless Annoyance_, now being completely ignored by the larger ships, opened a hyperspace window.

"They're abandoning us!?" Sheppard accused. The glare the woman leveled on him was enough to make him visibly flinch.

A split second later, the _Annoyance_ dropped out of hyperspace within the shield envelope of the first ship and opened fire with her particle beam cannons. Hyperaccelerated beams of particles cut through the limited armor on the ship and severed power lines, destroyed weapon emplacements, and carved their way through other vital systems. Two seconds after it began, the assault on the first ship ended as the _Annoyance_ entered hyperspace once more and repeated the surgical crippling of the other attacking ships. One more trip through hyperspace and the last Traveler vessel fell to the guns of the tiny ship.

Retaking its position over the Lantean Warship, the _Relentless Annoyance_ opened a channel to the Traveler Fleet, as Larrin had called her people. _"Order your boarding parties to stand down, or they'll suffer the same fate as those that were sent before them."_

Shocked by what had just happened, Sheppard and McKay just stood there as the shuttles broke off their attempts to board and returned to the ships that launched them. With only three boarding craft left and there being three ships, each boarding craft returned to one of each of the ships, undoubtedly to help in the repairs to their systems.

"_Major, what's your status?"_ Walter asked.

"Christopher needs another two minutes to get the hyperdrive back online. Once I restore power the system, we'll be ready to move," Major Janie Frost replied.

"_Then we'll depart once the hyperdrive is online. Make sure the ship is ready for a full-speed run."_

"What about Larrin?" Sheppard asked.

"_We'll send her back to her people,"_ the Colonel replied. A beep on the nearby life-support terminal indicated that a life-sign had gone missing. One push of a button later and the Brig was powered down and depressurized. _"Happy now?"_ the Colonel asked.

"Far from it," Sheppard assured him.

"_Considering how little your happiness means to me, I'll fail to make note of your displeasure in my report,"_ the Colonel shot back as the _Relentless Annoyance_ circled her prey. _"Status report."_

"The hyperdrive has been repaired to partial functionality. I'm bringing it back online now," Janie replied. There was a humming in the floorboards as the hyperdrive came online. A second later they were jumping into hyperspace with the _Relentless Annoyance_ in the hangar bay. "We'll be in orbit of New Lantea in just under five hours," she reported as her CO entered the Auxiliary Control Room.

"Send a message ahead with the _Annoyance_'s subspace array to make sure Weir knows not to shoot us down," Walter replied. "This ship is banged up enough without taking a drone or an ion round to the hull."

***Pegasus Galaxy (Lantean Territory)***

**New Lantea (Orbit)**

*Unnamed Lantean Warship (Auxiliary Control Room) [five hours later]*

The yet-to-be-named ship dropped out of hyperspace in orbit of New Lantea to find the guns of the _Daedalus_ immediately on them. Once the IFF they were broadcasting was confirmed, the Earth-made Battlecruiser that was now living up to its name powered down their weapons and beamed over the repair crew. As Doctor Weir and Colonel Caldwell came into the Auxiliary Control Room, McKay started complaining.

"No, it's not anywhere near ready enough to be sent to Earth," he immediately informed them. "The hyperdrive is barely holding together as it is. If we tried to send it to Earth in this state, it would take the ship a year and half to cross the void and another three months to reach Earth after it did. The hull needs to be repaired or upgraded depending on what materials we have available to us, the weapons systems are partially overloaded, the sublight engines are barely holding together, the core is still leaking radiation… Look, the list goes on and the short version is that, no matter how much O'Neill shouts, I can't get it battle ready before the Ori hit Earth. If I had a year to work on it, then maybe I could get it battle ready…"

"It's not a matter of '**you**' getting it ready," Colonel McMillan countered. "You are one man. Earth has **teams** of experts who collectively perform better than you do singularly. Get the hyperdrive fully functional and Earth's shipyards can get the rest of the ship fixed. Stop being a child and acting like everything revolves around you."

McKay looked from the Colonel to Weir who simply shrugged her shoulders. She knew how this man felt about Rodney. In his reality, the man had sold their technology to their enemies. The hostility between them was to be expected… and she had to agree with his assessment. McKay did tend to make things all about **him** and what **he** could do. Still, the look Sheppard leveled at the Colonel was mildly concerning.

"Did I miss something?" Weir asked.

"Apparently I got blamed for getting their Earth destroyed," Sheppard replied in an annoyed tone.

"It's hard to shift the blame from yourself to another when you were the one sitting in the fully operational Drone Chair," Walter countered darkly. "Your guilt wasn't up for debate. Only your punishment was."

"Clearly **I** missed something," Caldwell stressed, very much confused.

"It's a long story involving alternate realities," Weir replied. "What about the hyperdrive? Can you get it online?"

"All of our spare parts were given to the Colonel and his team here," McKay answered while throwing a thumb over his shoulder to point to the man from another reality.

"Well then, if the Ori are on their way to Earth with hostile intentions, I am more than willing to sacrifice the hyperdrive on my ship in favor of the greater good. So long as the _Relentless Annoyance_ is taken back to Earth in the hangar bay, then I have no problem with the hyperdrive being taken out and reinstalled onboard this ship," Walter offered.

"Nice offer, but the hyperdrive on your ship is too small to pull an _Aurora_ through hyperspace," McKay countered.

"Then cannibalize it," Walter contradicted. "We once used the hyperdrive for an SR to pull an _O'Neill_ through hyperspace after cannibalizing it for parts and the hyperdrive on the damaged ship wasn't even capable of opening a hyperspace window. This one is in far better shape so the results should only be better."

"I'm telling you it can't be done!" McKay argued.

"Doctor, if you cannot perform a task assigned to you simply admit your incompetence so that a more experienced technician can be assigned the task. My people have done this type of repair before, and we will do so again with or without your help. You can either disembark with the rest of your pathetically under-trained staff, or you can stick around, keep quiet, and learn from a few experts who got their titles the hard way instead of using their pompous attitude to persuade the ignorant of their own self-found value," Colonel McMillan said without looking at the man.

This went beyond simple animosity. Weir could tell that whatever had happened in this man's reality had left him cold. Then again, losing Earth would do that to any of them. Even she would be changed by such an event. "Let's calm down, now, shall we?" Weir said diplomatically.

"I agree with the Colonel," Caldwell stated.

"Of course you do," McKay mumbled darkly.

Hitting his ear piece, Walter ordered, "Beam Doctor McKay back down to the city. He's done here." There was a flash of light before anyone could argue and McKay was gone. That was the second time a new Colonel came along and started beaming him around without permission.

"Was that entirely necessary?" Weir asked, a little off put.

"He wasn't helping the situation, Doctor, you have to see that," Caldwell replied.

Weir leveled a look at the man, but Caldwell wasn't about to yield ground to a politician on a military matter. Weir hadn't been back to Earth any time recently. She didn't know how tense the situation was back there. They were racing against a clock that no one could see. They could hear it ticking in the background, but they couldn't see how much time was left on it. Just an endless ticking.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

"Earth is under imminent threat from an intergalactic **superpower**," Caldwell stressed. "We need every advantage we can get, and McKay is wasting time trying to make himself the star of the show. His skills, no matter how great, are always overshadowed by his attitude. He contradicts his own people, always has to have the spotlight, and slows everyone else down by whining whenever he doesn't get his way. Right now, that's the last thing we need. Earth is going to be hit and every ship we get into orbit adds to our odds of surviving the battle to come. Do you really want his need to be the **only** one worth getting credit for a find or fix compromising Earth's defenses?"

"This has effectively become a military situation, Doctor Weir," Walter added. "You may not feel so because you're a galaxy away, but the threat to Earth is very real. In my reality, we only survived the Ori invasion because the Asgard stood between them and us. Despite their best efforts, we lost every single 304 we had and only one _O'Neill_ was left standing in orbit by the time the fighting finally stopped. One out of fifty, I might add, and it wasn't worth fixing after the fact. Thirty cities across the surface of Earth were outright destroyed and another twenty were being invaded by Ori ground forces. By the time we finally forced them off-world, they had unleashed a new version of their plague and Earth's population was cut in half overnight! If they get that far, Earth won't survive because you don't have the fifty _O'Neills_ that we did."

Weir was taken aback by that. The Colonel had told her they lost Earth, but he didn't give this much detail. What he did say told her that they lost the planet to machines, which meant that Earth was invaded **twice** in their reality. His home truly sounded horrible.

Squaring her shoulders, Weir said, "Do what you deem necessary, Colonel."

Walter nodded in reply then turned to his people.

"It's more than just the hyperdrive, Colonel," Christopher, the team's Combat Engineer, reported. "Taking this thing to Earth for the fight won't be possible. Even with a new hyperdrive, the ship won't be ready for an extended hyperspace jump until the hull's been patched up and the Bridge having been destroyed is throwing some of the systems off. To make matters worse, the repairs that need doing aren't something we know how to do. We'll have to dig around in the _Atlantis_ database to find what we need."

"Then get started," Walter ordered.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Control Room) [three weeks after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]*

"Off-world activation!" Walter announced as the Gate finished dialing. "Receiving IDC," Walter reported as Landry walked up behind him. "It's the Tok'ra, sir."

"Patch them through," Landry ordered with a note of dread in his voice.

"_**General Landry, it is with great displeasure that I inform you that we have received word from our scout at the Great Gate,"**_ the Tok'ra Councilor reported. _**"The Ori have returned in force. A total of twenty-five ships have arrived in this galaxy."**_


	29. The Storm Part 1: The Silence Before the

Chapter 28

The Storm Part 1

_The Silence Before the Storm_

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Control Room)*

To an outside viewer, the SGC would've looked like an anthill after you kicked it over. The news of the Ori's newly arrived fleet had sparked a mad rush to get the planet ready for an assault that could come at any moment. Major-General Hank Landry stood above the 'controlled chaos' that had consumed his command and made orders that he felt he was not fit to give.

Turning to one of his lead expert, Landry asked, "What's the status of the fleet?"

"We're not done with the upgrades," Sam replied worriedly.

"How bad is it?"

"The _Apollo_'s system have been fully repaired, the _Odyssey_ is fully combat ready, the _Daedalus_ is still in Pegasus, the _Cursor_ is in the middle of an upgrade to her power distribution systems, the last report we got from _Atlantis_ indicated that half of their weapons were still being interfaced with the Control Chair, the _Devastator_ is as ready for this fight as a Goa'uld ship can be, but that's the good news…" Sam shook her head and trailed off. "The planetary defense shield's tertiary emitters aren't even half way finished being constructed. We'll have to launch what we have and hope it's enough. The drones in Antarctica haven't been fired since Anubis' attack, and the _Ares_ is out of the system attacking Ptah's homeworld as planned."

"What **do** we have?" Landry asked.

"The ships in orbit represent every ship we have except for the _Ares_, which isn't equipped to take on an Ori Mothership, _Atlantis_ and _Daedalus_, which are a thirty-six hours out at best possible speed, and the captured Lantean Warship which is roughly twenty hours away from reaching the Alpha Site to undergo its upgrades and repairs. That leaves us with the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_, the _Cursor_, the _Devastator_, and the Ancient Weapons Platform all backed by the planetary defense shield."

"What are our odds?" Landry asked and the room went silent as everyone waited for the answer.

"Given the speed of an Ori hyperdrive, we have somewhere around sixteen hours to finish the upgrades to the fleet. Once the _Cursor_'s done and the planetary defense shield's been reinforced by the tertiary satellites… the odds are still against us," Sam replied sadly.

"Even with the Artic Weapons Platform?" Landry stressed.

"We've never had a chance to test the effectiveness of Ancient drones against the Ori. For all we know, their shields could be immune to the phase field that allowed the drones to so easily defeat Anubis," Sam explained.

"Do we have any force multipliers left that aren't already being used?"

Sam stared to shake her head, then stopped as her eyes widened. "We do have one!" she exclaimed before running off. Landry followed after her, hot on her heels, and was surprised when Sam ducked into the AI Room. "If I gave you access to a subspace channel linking you to the ships in orbit, could you incorporate yourself into all of the ships without sacrificing efficiency?" Sam asked the AI that appeared the moment the door opened.

"_You wouldn't risk that if there wasn't something drastic happening,"_ Pac said skeptically. _"What's going on?"_

"The Ori are on their way and we need every advantage we can get," Sam replied hastily.

"_Give me a minute,"_ Pac replied before his avatar winked out.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Scutum-Crux Arm)***

**Furling Stealth Spy Satellite 7-9-22 (Orbit)**

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Computer Core)*

There was a spark of light, an alteration to his perception, as another mind appeared before the blazing star that is his own. Looking at this spark revealed it for what it was; his 'clone.' It took but a look at the thing for all of its knowledge to become his own. They communicated at the speed of electrical impulses, electromagnetic radiation being the only thing capable of moving at the same speed as their conversation. Ideas were exchanged and plans were formulated, all in only a matter of microseconds, and Widget was broadcasting a data package to the SGC. He then turned away from the departing blip of light and spoke to the organic that he served.

"_There's been a development,"_ the AI informed him.

"What is it?" Sieon asked from his place repairing the final satellite in the network that **could** be repaired.

"_The Humans have been targeted by the Ori. A sizeable fleet is inbound to Earth. They're mustering their defenses and preparing to counter the assault, but they're heavily outnumbered and the Ori are a match for them technology. They've requested our help. I've already unshackled Pac and sent him a copy of the fragmentation code. He's going to upload copies of himself into their ships in an effort to improve their combat efficacy."_

"I suppose this is the part where I pretend to care?" Sieon asked irately.

"_I expect you to put aside your search for now, yes, but only because your allies are under attack. Ignore, for now, that they're a species under attack by a superior force and focus on the Asgard's decision to name them their successors. By order of the Alliance Doctrine, you're required to help them."_

"That contract was written between the Furlings and members of dead species. The Alterans are gone, the Asgard are dead, the Nox will do nothing, and I was disowned by my people. I am Furling by blood and nothing else. That hardly demands that I help them."

There was an electric whir in Sieon's armor before the built-in defibrillators fired an electrical pulse into his chest. As his heart-rates were destabilized, another jolt cursed through is body and brought them back to their natural rhythm. _"Do not make me hurt you,"_ Widget growled in Sieon ear, his voice low and menacing as it exited his helmet's speakers. _"If you do not commit yourself to this fight, I will do as my programming dictates and redeploy our forces as necessary. I will leave you floating in this dark, depressing void while I take this ship to Earth and help the only allies you have left survive what is to come! Do I make myself clear?"_

Sieon breathed through the pain that had shook his body and nodded, the motion being transmitted to the AI as movement in the armor's servomotors. _"Then get ready. We'll be needed shortly."_

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (AI Room)*

"_I've got it,"_ Pac reported as he reappeared before them not even a full second after having disappeared.

"Got what?" Sam asked.

"_The part of Widget's code that lets him create more versions of himself without compromising efficacy. Get me a direct line to each ship individually and I'll start getting the AIs settled in,"_ Pac explained. _"I know that your commanders aren't going to accept this without stipulations, so get them down to the SGC and put them under the scanner capable of reading their minds. I'll use it to copy their moral sense of self. Explain to and impress upon them that this makes the AIs have the same morals they do and your Colonels shouldn't have any complaints left. Then we give them names based off of their stations and the confusion is taken care of."_ When Sam looked at him funny, Pac added, _"The Odyssey is the tale of Odysseus so the AI aboard the _Odyssey_ would be named Odysseus."_

"Carter," Landry said in a concerned tone.

"Sir, at this point he's the only force multiplier we have left!" Sam immediately shot back. They were behind schedule with the upgrades and the Ori were ahead of schedule with the attack. This wasn't good.

"Then I need to call a war summit," Landry said before leaving the room.

He didn't make it very far before Walter, once again, announced, _"Unscheduled off-world activation!"_

Making his way to the Control Room, Landry was about to ask who it was when a figure appeared on one of the screens. "Who are you?" Landry asked gruffly.

"_Sieon Synipulous,"_ the man replied. _"I believe you have a copy of my AI in your base. He informed me of your request for help and I have something that may prove useful to you. I understand you have a device that prevents matter from properly rematerializing on your side of the Stargate. If you lower your defense, I will come through with power generators for the planetary defense shield I have been informed you have constructed."_

"Get me Carter," Landry ordered and Walter sent the announcement across the base's intercom.

Sam ran into the Control Room a second later and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm actually glad to see you."

"_Considering our last meeting begin with you in a lab, I suppose I deserve that,"_ Sieon replied with an awkward smile. _"I've got something for you."_

"Open the Iris," Sam ordered and Walter obliged only after Landry nodded in confirmation. "Go ahead," she told the Furling before running down to the Gate Room. Sieon stepped through, looked around, then made his body glow as he started bending the railings on the ramp that led up to the Stargate out of his way. "What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Making room," Sieon replied before adding, "Send them through, Widget."

A procession of very large objects then exited the Stargate. Each one was just small enough to have an inch of clearance all the way around as the flat-bottomed objects that reminded Sam of a Puddle Jumper floated out of the event horizon on anti-gravity fields. There were twelve in total and the Gate Room was too small to hold them all so Sam had Walter open the hatch they used to get the Gate into the bunker to begin with. As the last of the large things floated in and up the shaft, Sam finally found her voice.

"What are those?" she asked.

"Power generators that put your Neutrino Ion Generators to shame," Sieon replied. "I have twelve available for your use."

"I see that," Sam said. "Why?"

"Because you're going to need them," Sieon simply stated. "Hook them up to your PDS and the shield will last much longer, but there are things about the technology that I have to tell you before that's feasible. If General Landry goes ahead and gathers the leaders of your world, I'll explain what I need to in the time we have."

"Where's the _Nex_?" Sam asked.

"Currently performing a task I couldn't stop at the moment. Widget will finish what he was assigned then he will bring the _Nex_ here to participate in the battle to come."

"_Carter?"_ Landry asked again, this time his tone one of hope.

"Go ahead, General. The scales just tipped in our favor by a significant margin," Sam replied. Landry nodded then walked up to his office to place a phone call. Turning back to Sieon, Sam asked, "What do I need to know?"

"First, where are we installing these?" Sieon countered.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*Planetary Defense Shield Primary Emitter Alpha (Power Room) [half an hour later]*

Since each of the primary emitters were the size of a small space station, they had two rooms within them. The Power Room where the ZPMs were plugged in next to the six Neutrino Ion Generators that Sam had insisted they install as the primary generation capacity of the field so that the ZPMs were technically the backups, and the Control Room where the satellite's power cores were brought online. Sieon was currently showing Sam how to install the new generators into the primary satellites by plugging them into the makeshift ZPM pedestal they had put in the center of the room. Since they had hopes for increasing the power of the shield, each pedestal, like the one on _Atlantis_, was designed to hold multiple ZPMs. Unlike _Atlantis_, however, these were designed to hold five.

Using this to his advantage, Sieon was installing the new generators by plugging them into a slot designed to handle a far greater amount of power than the FSR would be capable of putting off. Once done, he stood up to face Sam. Only then did he begin to explain.

"Okay," Sam said once she was done installing the other generator as Sieon had shown her how. "What the hell are these things?"

"That," Sieon said as he waved his hand over a small colored strip on the armored casing, "is a Furling-designed Fusion Star Reactor, or FSR for short. Inside of that armored shell is a protostar. Now," Sieon said as he started fiddling with the holographic screen that appeared above the strip that was now displaying a bunch of stuff Sam didn't understand. "This is the control interface. It's all touch-oriented so there's no neural interface to worry about, and I'll hook it into the system you set up to have the VI control it. Even then, you have to know what you're dealing with."

"I don't speak Furling," Sam interrupted as the read-outs scrolled across in the strange looking symbols of the Furling language.

"You don't need to, the VI will handle the translation of the readouts and it'll show up as English or whatever you want it to show up as in whatever computer you have monitoring the shield. The most important thing you need to know is that, as long as these five bars stay green, you're good," Sieon said in reference to the five vertical bars in the center of the display. "If they move from green to any other color just tell the VI 'push the red button'," Sieon added, pointing to the large red button on the right side of the 'screen.' "Any VI that Pac programmed will know what the order means, and, even if the button can't be physically pushed, the VI will be able to send a signal to reproduce the one the button would send.

"Now, since you'll be monitoring the systems from Area 51, you, specifically, need to know that the left-most bar is for the left-side **shield** emitter, the inner-left bar is for the left-side **containment** **field** emitter, the middle bar is heat management, the inner-right bar is for the right-side **containment field** emitter, and the right-most bar is for the right-side **shield** emitter. Got it?"

Sam promptly wrote down what the Furling said on her arm and read it back to him. "Great! Now, the black button," Sieon said as he pointed to the big black button in the left-hand corner. "This sends the generator into overdrive mode. While in overdrive mode, the generator increases its output by roughly one-thousand percent initial energy yield."

"What's the catch?" Sam asked in astonishment.

"I am so glad you asked! The 'catch,' as you say, is a massive increase in heat production, and a drastic decrease in heat management efficiency. Inside that shell is a proto**star**," Sieon said again to re-iterate the point. "One designed to mimic a blue giant, to be more specific."

"Okay, I got that part. Just tell me what to do," Sam assured him.

"The protostar is an extremely volatile ball of hyper-compressed plasma being harnessed for energy. The ball exists inside of an artificial containment unit shaped like a rectangle. Yes, there's a rectangle inside of all of that," he added when Sam looked at him funny. "The containment chamber is a sphere and the generator is semi-rectangular because there is an electromagnetic field and a shield generator housed inside as well that are attached to the sides of the sphere, hence the overall shape. Plasma has a naturally occurring electromagnetic field, as I'm sure you know. The EM **field** generators produce a **field** on a polar opposite frequency to the star's own, natural frequency. This allows it to collapse the star into an even more condensed ball as opposed to being the size of… in its 'natural' state, the protostar is as big as a Jumper. In the first stage of compression, as it is now, the protostar is reduced to the size of a… huh, Human head, I guess is accurate enough. When in overdrive mode, the protostar grows to be about half the size of its natural state. Back on point, the **shield** then wraps around the EM **field** in order to contain the heat."

"Okay," Sam said as she took more notes, her left arm covered in blue sharpie. She'd have to transcribe the notes later or any amount of sweating could possibly threaten the planet as a whole. That was a strange thought to have. "The star is contained by an EM **field** and heat is managed by a **shield**. I get that part, continue."

"When you put the generator into overdrive mode, the EM **field** is expanded from the size of a Human head to half the size of its natural state. The distance between the EM **field** and the **shield** is therefore lessened, and the **shield** starts absorbing more heat as a result. This causes the power in the **shield** to drain faster while allowing more of the star's energy to be harnessed for other uses. When the **shield** reaches critical levels, which takes about three hours, the EM **field** is collapsed again and the **shield** is disabled as the protostar is collapsed to the size of a… tennis ball.

"When this happens, the armor casing must be opened to allow the built-up heat to escape. If it isn't opened and the armor melts, it'll expose the EM **field** emitters to the heat of a **star** and vaporize them. At that point, there will be nothing compressing the star and it will expand to its full size. I don't need to tell you how bad it would be if that were to happen while the generator was still in your solar system when that happened," Sieon explained. "The gravitational disturbances **alone** would destroy Earth, and a ball of super-heated plasma would then either pull Earth to it, or fall into Earth depending on how you look at it, and melt whatever it touched before reaching the core of your world and causing the entire planet to implode."

"Yeah, thanks for that mental image!" Sam shot back with a look of horror.

"Look, I seriously doubt that the battle will last more than three hours," Sieon continued. "All you have to do is hold off on putting the generators into overdrive mode until it's **absolutely** **necessary**. Deplete the ZPMs first if you have to, just don't put the FSRs into overdrive mode unless you have no other choice. If all the ships are engaged when the deadline reaches zero and no one can beam it off the planet and take it out of the system…"

"… All of this will have been for nothing because Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and several of the other planets would be instantly consumed by a star and the rest will be pulled into the gravitational field within the week. I know," Sam insisted.

"No," Sieon correct. "It's not a full-sized star. In its uncompressed state, the protostar is only as big as a Puddle Jumper… is as big as a Stargate in terms of diameter to make it easier to picture. It still burns as hot as a blue giant, but its gravity field is proportionate to its mass. It's a small star, but even a small star is still a star. Now, I seriously doubt that we'll need it, but I need you know what all the options are just in case something happens," Sieon replied.

"Okay, and you said that the system was already linked to the monitoring station we set up at Area 51?" Sam asked.

"No, we still have to give the VI permission to access the systems and a control interface will have to be built so that you know what you're looking at in relation to what this shell looks like," Sieon replied.

"Then we'll have to go to Area 51 and set that up," Sam said.

"Yes, but we need to install the other generators first. Have your ship beam you and two of the FSRs to the next satellite and I'll handle another one. We'll meet again at the end," Sieon countered.

**Earth (Surface)**

*Area 51 (Beam Room) [two hours later]*

In a flash of light, the duo appeared in a room specially designed to receive incoming personnel using the beams aboard the ships in orbit. They were scanned for weapons and IDs then the door was unlocked to allow them access to the base at large.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the two walked through the halls before Sieon asked, "What's 'Area 51'?"

"Our primary R&D lab in the Nevada desert," Sam replied with a small chuckle.

"Right," Sieon said. After another moment of awkward silence, Sieon asked "Just, you know, out of curiosity… where's Nevada?"

"Nevada is one state amongst fifty that compose the United States of America, one country amongst many on Earth," Sam explained as she led the Furling to the geothermal generator room where the PDS was being tied into yet another generator.

This one drew power from a tunnel mined using Tok'ra tunneling crystals. Since the original design for the PDS that had been given to them required a geothermal energy source, the tunnel had been built before Oliver and his team showed up with their miraculously acquired ZPMs. The tunnel was connected to the base by a series of Ancient-designed geothermal power conduits that were then hooked up to an Asgard-designed microwave energy emitter.

The devices, working cooperatively, would draw power from Earth's magma layer then send it into orbit to the primary shield emitter positioned over Area 51 to receive the energy by sending a beam of microwaves up to the satellite that would then spread its energy to the shield across the entire globe with the other satellites supporting the barrier with smaller, Mark II Naquadah Generators, Neutrino Ion Generators, the ZPMs, and the newly installed Furling reactors.

The geothermal power planet designed by the Ancients to power a shield that covered a planet, therefore, was surprisingly small for its purpose. In fact, it only took up the same amount of room that the 304 dry-docks did, and had, therefore, been located in the slip used to build the _Daedalus_. With Pac modifying one to see how Earth could better build ships, and the new geothermal plant taking up another, that left them with two operational slips, but, since the _Daedalus_ and _Apollo_ had traded out the times the ships needed to be in a slip, it worked out without slowing down the upgrade process.

It took the two figures another fifteen minutes, with Pac's help, to interface the VI with the new generators. Once the control interface was completed and the last of the systems checks were run, the geothermal power planet was activated with a loud groaning noise as the massive assembly of machinery came to life. With a flare and a notable increase in temperature, the geothermal plant started harnessing power and the microwave beam started sending it up to the primary emitter satellite in orbit of them. With that extra burst of energy and the finished instillation of the Furling generators, the PDS was brought online for the first time… still missing more than half of its tertiary emitters.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

There was an immense power spike from under the Nevada desert before a column of energy, only visible to the advanced sensors aboard the warships in orbit, shot into the sky and connected with one of the cloaked primary satellites that sustained the planetary defense shield. From there, the energy spread out in all directions, each satellite adding more power to it as the barrier grew, spread, and moved to cover the entire globe. A slight shimmer of light covered first one hemisphere then the entire planet at large as the shield was brought online for the first time.

The barrier continuously grew stronger as it linked into the power supply of the smaller satellites that the _Odyssey_ had beamed into orbit only minutes before, each tertiary satellite adding a small amount of power and the secondaries adding a large amount. It was the other five primaries that gave the shield its strength though. The others just helped keep it from being weaker in one area than in another due to the distance between the six primary satellites. As the shield enveloped the entire globe, the barrier let out one final, soft flash of light before disappearing from view almost entirely. At the edges of the planet where the shield curved back in on itself to match the curvature of the Earth and follow the path set for it by its emitters, however, Davidson could barely make out the shiny, silver-ish field of energy.

"Now **that** was pretty awesome," Major Marks said from his position at the helm.

"I agree, Major. Now let's do our part and make sure that shield takes less damage than we do," Davidson ordered.

**Earth (Surface)**

*Area 51 (Shipyards/Geothermal Power Slip)*

Once they had finished getting the last source of power the PDS would receive online and the control interface was completed, Sieon's comms system had crackled to life and a familiar, yet slightly different, voice had spoken to him. Since Pac and Widget had differentiated themselves enough to be individuals, Pac had slight sub-tones to his voice that didn't match Widget's.

With his slightly different, voice, Pac said, _"General Landry has informed me that General O'Neill has arranged a meeting with those two as well as a man named General Hammond. The three Generals represent the SGC, Homeworld Command, and the United States of America for the duration of this battle respectively. In addition to those three, you'll be put before Generals and other high ranking military and political officials across the planet as a whole. The goal of the meeting is to formulate a battle plan, not question you on your origins, so feel free to show them why the Furlings elected you to be the Scourge in the first place."_

Sieon, ignoring the fact that this wasn't **truly** his AI, asked "So, the SGC, or what?"

"_Yes, the SGC. Which, I might add, they put inside of a mountain. Rather smart if you ask me. It's very tactically sound while remaining out of the way and out of sight which, in turn, allows them to build more without being seen. Anyway, the other officials will be contacted via secure video communications that will be relayed through the subspace transmitters aboard the Earth ships in orbit," _Pac replied.

"Alright, where's the SGC?" Sieon asked.

"We'll be beaming over in a second," Sam replied as she finished what she was doing then hit her own radio to request the transport.

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Briefing Room) [one hour later]*

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we are faced with an eminent threat to Earth, one we may not be able to beat outright. However, we do have a couple things working for us in the battle to come," _General Hammond began, his face one of many present on the computer consoles set up along the wall across from the window that overlooks the Gate Room. Hammond was standing in the unmistakable room that is the Oval Office in the White House, the President sitting behind his desk next to the General.

"In the past two months, SG-1 was able to successfully complete two missions that have assured us three warships capable of outright destroying an Ori Mothership, all three of which are in orbit right now. Two of these ships are the BC-304 _Daedalus_-class Battlecruisers _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ flying under the command of the United States Air Force. The third ship is an Asgard _O'Neill_-class Warship that's flying under the joint command of the IOA Nations and their appointed command staff," Landry picked up.

"While they have been recalled, unfortunately, some of the others ships we have in our fleet…" General O'Neill added using the term 'fleet' loosely. He himself was present in person at the SGC since Homeworld Command's secure, subspace grid was undergoing a set of upgrades at the moment. "… Are out of the system right now. Of those, one will be in orbit in a matter of hours flying under the joint command of the IOA Nations. SG-1 also managed to acquire the help of another race which adds a fifth ship to the fight. This ship, however, does not fly under the command of any organization from Earth. Instead, she belongs to one of our allies."

"_Whose command does it fly under?"_ the British Commodore asked. _"The Free Jaffa Nation is too weak to help us, the Tok'ra have no warships at all, and, with the passing of the Asgard, I can name no other allies that would be both willing __**and**__ able to lend us aid."_

"_If you remain patient, I assure you we're getting there,"_ Hammond replied in a diplomatically polite voice. When the others nodded their consent, Hammond continued. _"The first mission that SG-1 successfully completed was making contact with the Asgard as per the request of the Asgard High Council itself. During that contact, the Asgard gave us their entire knowledge base much like the Ancient Database on _Atlantis_. The Asgard also equipped the _Odyssey_ with all of their latest technology including everything from the armor that now coats the hulls of our Battlecruisers, the shields that were strengthened by their efforts, the new Neutrino Ion Generator designs we used to increase the power output of our ships, their ion cannon designs… and plasma beam weapons capable of destroying an Ori Mothership in fewer than ten hits."_

That shocked the assembled politicians, Generals, Admirals, and other officials into silence. _"We can do that?"_ the Italian Prime Minister asked.

"_With the help of the now deceased Asgard, yes,"_ Lieutenant Paul Davidson replied from his place in the pentagon.

"For the past three weeks, Lieutenant-Colonel Samantha Carter has worked in conjunction with an alien technician of an allied species to produce the current iteration of the 304 class. We're calling them the Post-Fifth Race 304s or simply the 304 Bs. Colonel, if you will," Landry said as he handed the explanation off to Sam.

Stepping up before a wall covered in the faces of the people who led the free world and beyond, Sam pressed a button on a remote she had in her pocket. The holo-projection system recently installed in the Briefing Room table flared to life to show the _Odyssey_ before her encounter with the Asgard. Only then did Sam begin.

"We started by taking everything the Asgard gave us on the _Odyssey_ and duplicating the working examples we had," Sam began as the _Odyssey_ shifted behind her. "The Asgard gave us armor," she explained as the hull of the _Odyssey_ was stripped away behind her and replaced with an obviously newer armor configuration, "we gave it to the _Apollo_. The Asgard gave us beam weapons," the system was highlighted, the four beam emitters surprisingly small given their power, "we gave it to the _Apollo_ then gave ourselves more," four became six with another two facing to the ship's rear. "They improved our shields," the shield emitters and generator system were highlighted, "we used that to improve the _Apollo_. Then our researches at the Gamma Site used the information gained from studying the _Devastator_, Ba'al's flagship stolen by the Impolans and given to us by the same race, to perfect Earth's first plasma cannon design. We installed them on both ships," the addition to the _Odyssey_ was sixteen small cannons.

"We then took everything the Asgard gave us in the Core, which holds the entirety of their military power, that could be useful and implemented more changes. They gave us their designs for ion cannons, and we altered them to fit onto our ships," four, very large cannons were added to the bottom of the 302 bays on the _Odyssey_, the barrels themselves sticking out past the edge of the bay and measuring in at nearly twenty meters long. "They gave us the plans for a coaxial ion cannon, we modified the design and installed it on our ships," the coaxial cannon that ran the length of the _Odyssey_ showed up with only one barrel, then shifted to show the changes Sam, Pac, Felger, Bill, and the rest of the SGC's science teams had made. The cannon, after the modifications, ended with three barrels. One to charge the firing chambers and bring the ion round to life, one to charge the barrel itself before firing the ion round, and another to allow the systems to cool off. The cannon would rotate to allow each stage to be completed in sequence which would increase the fire rate substantially.

"We finished by using the knowledge the Asgard gave us along with what we already knew of holographics technology to create a semi-tangible holographic interface system that allows for better control of the ships' new systems. With the increase in power requirements brought on by the inclusion of such an expansive weapons system alone and the need for more power for the shields, we had to install a new generator as well. Since time was a constraint, we left the existing shipboard Naquadah Generator in place as ripping it out would've taken too long. Because of this, one of the larger cargo holds on each ship was converted into a new power plant. In each of these modified cargo holds, a Neutrino Ion Generator was installed to meet the new power demands the upgrades created," Sam explained as the holographic image of the _Odyssey_ highlighted the Naquadah Generator in blue and the new Neutrino Ion Generator in grey. "With these advancements, the 304s will be able to take on an Ori Mothership with the odds, one-on-two, decidedly in our favor."

"_Thank you, Colonel,"_ Hammond said in way of dismissing her. _"Also provided to us by the Asgard was an _O'Neill_-class Asgard Warship. We made several changes to this ship as well including the addition of the weapons, holographic systems, and other technologies Colonel Carter just explained. Due the ship's size and the fact that the Asgard built it, the _Clausus Cursor_ has four Neutrino Ion Generators and is sure to have better combat durability and overall lethality than the 304s we'll be fielding. Even with all the knowledge of the Asgard and Ancients, there's only so much we can do in three weeks."_

"_Also joining the _Odyssey_, _Apollo_, and _Cursor_ is the _Devastator_,"_ Colonel Fray, General Ervin's Executive Officer, reported from the Alpha Site, the active Gate below and behind them allowing the Colonel to give his report. _"This ship was built by Ba'al as his answer to both the Ori threat and as a bid for galactic dominance. We used the ship to get our plasma cannons online then upgraded it heavily. While Ba'al had already installed generators and shields on par with the upgraded 304s, we did have to install the Asgard's plasma beam weapons, ion cannons, another generator to help support the new weapons and reinforce the shields, and made minor adjustments to several other systems."_

"_Ba'al had shields and generators on level with those provided to us by the Asgard?"_ the Russian representative asked in a concerned tone.

"First, yes," O'Neill replied calmly. "Second, let's try not to get too far off topic here. Ba'al's new flagship, the one that was stolen by the Impolans and given to us, was the only ship he had with those advancements. He redesigned everything from the ground up. The thing's not even a flying pyramid for crying out loud. Also, the ship was stolen from him before he could finish it so it's not like we have to worry about there being another one any time soon. A ship like that takes time to build."

"_And who would risk their lives to steal from Ba'al just to give that which they stole to us?"_ Camile Wray, the Chinese ambassador, asked. This woman had replaced Shin after she was arrested by Landry. So far she was far more tolerable.

"_They themselves are a race known as the Impolans. They're a servant species to an entity we know only as the Mimner,"_ Davidson began. _"We don't know what the Mimner looks like, what sex it is, or even if 'Mimner' is a name or a title. What we do know is that the Impolans have been feeding us Intel on Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance for the past year and half. They have outright __**given**__ us Ba'al's flagship, then, only a few weeks after giving us the _Devastator_, they returned to the Alpha Site and gave us the designs for a planetary defense shield. The only thing they said in question to why they would help is to not forget the Mimner's kindness in a time of need."_

"_Then, by accepting these gifts, we've set ourselves up to be the guardians of a race that is actively engaging two of the major powers of this galaxy? They will bring the wrath of Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance down on them then demand we help them!"_ Wray declared angrily.

Considering that was an outburst from the usually irrational Chinese, Jack had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. For **once**, they were complaining about something legitimate. He liked this woman. She had the good kind of brain. Shen was evil, but Camile? She was the right kind of worried.

"First, let's try not to get too far off topic," General O'Neill stressed again. "Second, the Impolans have a fleet of very small, very fast, very lethal ships. They stole Ba'al's flagship from orbit of one of his own worlds. They defeated two Ha'tak, stole the flagship, took on a small armada of Death Gliders, and did it all with **one ship the size of an Al'kesh**! They won't need us to take on Ba'al because Ba'al doesn't even know where their homeworld is."

"_I do not understand why we are discussing their motives at this moment,"_ the Italian Prime Minister interrupted. _"If we do not survive the fight to come, then our supposed 'debt' to these aliens will be null and void. Right now, I'm far more interest in this planetary defense shield you speak of."_

"Of course, Prime Minister," O'Neill said. "Carter…" he then added when he drew a blank.

"The planetary defense shield, or PDS for short, is a network of satellites placed in orbit of Earth. It starts with the primary satellites that generate enough power to cover the planet in a shield that can hold off a small invasion force. After that, we use a series of secondary satellites to reinforce the barrier so that its strength is evenly spread across the globe. The last line of defense is then a series of tertiary satellites. Where the primary and secondary satellites are stationary, the tertiary satellites are designed to move around the planet and reinforce whichever spot is under the greatest strain. This allows the shield to be strengthened where needed without compromising the rest of the planet. However… we were only able to complete less than half of the needed number of tertiary satellites. While this won't compromise the barrier's overall strength, it will limit the amount of power we can reinforce a heavily assaulted area by. To make sure that the shield is held evenly and given the best reinforcements in real time, a dedicated, highly advanced, automated computer system known as a Virtual Intelligence will monitor the tertiaries while organic operators monitor the overall system," Sam explained.

"_And where is this monitoring station set up?"_ a Russian General asked. _"In America, no doubt."_

"**HEY**!" O'Neill shouted at the top of his lungs while slamming his hand down on the table as the assembled delegates erupted into chaos. "We just received word from the Tok'ra that the Ori are on their way to Earth and you're FIGHTING over who controls what!?" O'Neill roared. "We Are under attack! **Earth** is being invaded! Not America, not Italy, not Russia, not china. None of us can afford to stand alone right now! Aliens don't give a shit what country you're from! They'll kill you just for the hell of it!" As the delegates all fell silent under the glare of an enraged General in control of a very powerful force sitting in orbit of their world, General O'Neill brought his voice down to a more diplomatic level.

"Yes, the monitoring system for the planetary defense shield was built in Area 51. No, this was not a bid for global dominance on our part. Area 51 has been researching the technologies needed to build the device in a timely manner for years now. The geothermal plant that the barrier gets the bulk of its energy from is the size of a 304's construction slip. We had to convert one of our dry-docks into a power plant to pull this off. It took us two weeks to use Tok'ra tunneling crystals to reach the mantel so we could start pulling in the geothermal energy. Any other facility would've taken over six months to set up properly. Building it the way we did keeps the entire system as securely hidden as our 304 bays and still allows us to power the shield. A dedicated facility built from scratch can be discussed later, but **only** if we survive the twenty-five all-powerful ships barreling through hyperspace on their way to Earth!"

As the assembled delegates took in the drastic shift in power that had just been revealed, Sieon turned to Sam and whispered, "I can't believe you're fighting amongst yourselves at a time like this!"

Sam shook her head sadly. "Neither can I, but we are who are we are. As a species, we're stupid, selfish, and moronic. It's the individuals with staggering levels of intellect, indescribable amounts of courage, and the few of us who use our common sense that hold everything together."

"And, of course, you're one of those people?" Sieon asked, his tone hinting at how he thought she sounded conceded.

"Everyone working for the SGC is one of the rare few who fall into all three of these categories," Sam rebutted without rising to the bait.

"Another thing we have working for us is this guy," General Landry picked up where the conversation had stopped. He pointed over his shoulder to where Sieon was whispering to Sam. "After SG-1's scheduled contact with the Asgard, they made a return trip to P3X-727 and made first contact with the Furlings, the last of the Four Great Races we had yet to meet. This here is their Scourge, the highest ranking military officer in the Furling Galactic Space Navy."

"At this point in the meeting, I believe introductions to be a waste of time. I don't care what your name or rank is. Whatever position you hold in the governments and armies of Earth has no meaning to me," Sieon informed them all firmly as he stood to address them. "I am here at the request of my allies. I don't care if that means the Americans to you. To me, it means the people of Earth as a whole just as it will to your enemies. The only thing that matters at this point is discerning the best course of action. We need to iron out a plan of defense that turns their strengths against them. If we can force the Ori off of the offense and get them on the defense, even while they're in this system, then we can pin them down and tear them apart before they can begin to hope for a quick victory. They will outnumber us, but we have something they do not, something they **cannot**, possess.

"The Asgard saw something in humanity that led them to bestowing their legacy upon your people. I believe I'm starting to see what they saw. You're a warrior people. You fight hard. You die hard. You take as many people to Hell as you can with you when you die. The Asgard knew this. I know this. You know this. The Ori are sure to know this. We will use this to our advantage. When they come, they will expect their numbers to force your fleet back to orbit of your world. They will expect you to stay in orbit and engage them. We will not. When the Ori arrive, we will meet them wherever they drop out of hyperspace and we will hit them with everything we have. While they're busy trying to reorganize under the pressure of our guns, we'll take out whatever and whoever we can. By the time they've regained their focus and regrouped, we'll have delivered a crippling blow to their fleet. Then we'll regroup accordingly and draw a line in space.

"Nothing will get past that line. You are Humanity. You are the Fifth Race. You are the People of the Earth, the First World. You will stand, toes to that line, and you will hold back the ocean even if you have only a bucket full of holes with which to fight it! The Ori have grown complacent in their domination of the Free Jaffa Nation. They will find the people of Earth to be anything but weak. Like the very thing they fear you to be, you will rise against the forces they bring to bear and you will cast down their gods as if they were but things made of glass! When nothing remains but shattered fragments of what used to be a great Ori Fleet, you will dance upon their ashes and send a message to all of your enemies. The people of Earth are not to be taken lightly. They will not sit back and be attacked! They will not simply roll over when faced with impossible odds! **You will fight**!" Sieon declared his voice growing ever louder and ever more energetic. Then his tones dropped to a level in line with a simple conversation. "And you will win," pause, "because you are Humanity," pause, "and that is what you do."

The way he said it, dramatic pauses aside, was more of a fact than an opinion.

Sam was utterly bewildered. Even as the representatives from around the world erupted into applause and the military personnel all seemed to grow comfortable with such a plan (a plan that wasn't even a plan in Sam's opinion) she found herself clapping along with them. The comms channels went dead as the assembled men and women went to ready their forces and Sieon collapsed into the chair behind him, looking very tired.

"What the hell was that?" Jack asked just as surprised as Sam was to find he was clapping along with them.

"Very, very draining," Sieon replied, his tones indicating he was short of breath.

"You just mentally manipulated the leaders of the world, didn't you?" Jack asked in an accusational tone.

Sieon smiled in reply. "Reaching around the world and finding the minds that needed to be inspired was a daunting task, I assure you," the Furling replied, his spirits still high despite Jack's obvious anger.

"I can see why that would be useful," Jack said with a nod, to which Sam was baffled.

"You can see why that would be useful?" Sam asked accusingly. "That's a breach in global security!"

"Carter, you're the one who's been preaching 'they're our allies' since we got the AI-orb," Jack countered.

"No, that was Daniel. I'm the one who's been agreeing with you that we should be cautious!" Sam countered.

"Look, given the circumstances, I think you can cut me a break," Sieon argued. "It's just a motivational speech with a little extra 'umph' to help rally the troops. Winning a war starts by having a winner's mindset. Olaf One-Eye taught me that. He also taught me that a winner's mindset starts with the leaders and spreads down the chain of command, not the other way around. If your Generals and Admirals think this war is lost before the battle begins, they're right. If they think they've won before it begins, we have a chance at making that a reality."

With that matter 'settled,' Sieon turned to the three Generals left 'present' as Hammond was still on screen. "Generals, if it's not too much extra work, I'd like to try and capture one of the Ori's Motherships. I need to know why their reactor core exploded into a supernova when hit by a dark matter warp beam. If my theory is right, they're using a light matter energy core and that's the type of thing that I'd love to get my hands on!"

"Can you take a ship single handedly?" Jack asked.

"The only threat to me on that ship is the Prior, and I'm sure that my biotics can handle his telekinetic attacks," Sieon casually replied.

"Wow," Sam said with a roll of her eyes, now her turn to say the alien was being cocky.

"And he doesn't have to do it alone," Mitchell added as he entered the room from the hall. He had stayed close in case he was needed, but going before the leaders of the planet wasn't his 'cup of tea.' "I'd volunteer to help, but something tells me I'll be of more use behind the stick. It's the least we can do in exchange for his help defending Earth."

"Indeed," Teal'c added as he walked in behind Mitchell.

"Why is light matter so important?" Landry asked.

"For that matter, when did we start acting like light matter was a real thing?" Sam countered. "Last time I checked, light matter was discredited."

"Light matter is the antithesis to dark matter," Sieon replied. "That's why light and dark matter colliding makes grey matter."

"If dark matter is the antithesis to regular matter, how can light matter exist as the antithesis to something that already has an antithesis?" Sam stressed.

"You're confusing me," Jack said while shaking his head.

"Everything we touch is made of matter," Sam explained.

"Grey matter," Sieon interjected.

Sam shot the man a glare then continued. "Dark matter is theorized to be the antithesis to matter. It works like water putting out fire, earth grounding lightning, or oxygen breathing creatures dying when they breathe in carbon monoxide."

"That's **Human** physics for you, and it's possible we're talking about the same thing and that I'm losing something in translation," Sieon countered. "From the perspective of a **Furling** physicists, we live in the realm of grey matter which is a stable combination of light and dark matter. Light matter is energy in its purest form and dark matter is mass in its purest form. When these two are brought together in a balanced state, grey matter is created. Furling scientists have long theorized that the universe was created when a source of near infinite light matter met a source of near infinite dark matter. The resulting explosion would be equivalent to your 'Big Bang Theory'… I think," the Furling replied uncertainly.

"**Why** is that important?" Landry stressed.

"Light matter, unlike dark matter, is the only form of energy production theoretically capable of being self-sustaining. Obviously the Ori haven't perfected the technology or they'd be unstoppable, but, if we could perfect the technology, we could create a single generator with the output capacity to power everything on Earth with enough energy leftover to power the shield indefinitely versus an entire Wraith armada or anything or anyone else that managed to make it to Earth with hostile intentions. Once we have the basis of the technology, we can expand on it until we're ready to put it into use. The limitless energy production and self-sustaining nature of a perfected light matter energy core far outweigh the possible side effects," Sieon promptly replied.

Jack, Hank, and George all stared at the duo with confused expressions until Landry finally sighed in a frustrated fashion. "If you can capture an Ori Mothership without compromising Earth's defenses, I don't care." He then exited the room and made his way to the infirmary to get painkillers before his headache could cloud his judgment.

**Earth (Surface)**

*Area 51 (Shipyards/Geothermal Power Slip) [one hour later]*

Sam had done the math on the total output capacity of Sieon's FSRs. The results had stunned her, Bill, and everyone else who understood the math, into total silence. The only noise now was the massive geothermal generator that was projecting power up to the bubble that surrounded Earth, their last line of defense from an enemy attack. The FSRs, when combined with the ZPMs, meant that they had enough power to sustain the shield for years on end without them being under attack, and that was just with the Neutrino Ion Generators and Mark II Naquadah Generators in the secondary and tertiary satellites. Once the FSRs and ZPMs were added in, the shield looked like it could be sustained indefinably… if they weren't attacked.

The question now was, "How quickly will the Ori deplete it?" After crunching the numbers, the team of scientists determined that the shield could withstand a brutal beating from either the Ori or the Asurans, their two most advanced adversaries. Even though it was nothing more than a thin layer of energy between them and total destruction, it was a powerful layer of energy, and they trusted it to hold.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [one hour later]*

Arriving back on the Bridge of his ship after having his brain scanned, Davidson asked, "What's our status, Major?"

"The Ori Fleet is estimated at being twelve hours out, sir," Marks replied. "The _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ are both ready for battle, as are the _Devastator_ and the _Blockade Runner_," Marks said, using the translated name for the _Clausus Cursor_. "The Artic Outpost has been brought to full alert status and the planetary shield generator was given some Furling generators, so it's good for the fight too. In fact, Colonel Carter informs us that the shield will hold out far longer than the fleet's shields **combined** will when put against the amount of firepower we're going to be up against. As for the _Paciscor of Nex_, Sieon said that the ship should be here soon. All we're really doing now is waiting for the enemy's arrival and hoping the _Dealer of Death_ gets here first," Marks reported, once again using the ship's translated name.

"Great," Davidson said with a sigh. "So now we wait."

"_The hardest part of every battle,"_ Odysseus, their newly minted AI, commented. That was going to take some getting used to.

"Alright, I want everyone to get some rest. Even if the Ori push their engines, we have ten hours before they arrive. Take some time to cool off and get any sleep you feel yourself capable of getting. This won't be easy, but we'll pull through," Davidson ordered before taking his own advice and heading for the mess hall.

*_Clausus Cursor_ (Combat Information Center) [eleven hours later]*

"Alright, people, listen up! Your sensors aren't as advanced as the _Cursor_'s are, so I'm telling you this in case you haven't detected it yet. The Ori Fleet has arrived. They're currently holding position near orbit of Neptune, but we're not going to just let them kick back and relax. Power up your hyperdrives, stick to your formations, charge your weapons, raise your shields, and remember the plan. Steel yourselves, hold your fear, and remember your reasons for fighting. The hour of our victory is upon us. To war!" Sieon declared victoriously.

The decision to appoint an alien as the leader of their forces was actually rather simple. The Italian Prime Minister had pointed out that Sieon had led more battles than any of them and yet he still lived. Jack added that he won a war that lasted thirty-five years, though he left out the part about victory through retreat, and the others had agreed to the request to appoint the Scourge as the 'Fleet Admiral' for the battle. Once again, Sam was baffled. This time, however, she had monitored his brainwaves and was satisfied that he hadn't gained his position through mental trickery… unless he manipulated her mind into seeing false readings…

A cheer tore through the CIC of the Asgard Warship as the fleet moved forward and tore open the fabric of space. As one, the fleet jumped into hyperspace, and as one they exited it. The _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ formed up in a line, the _Odyssey_ leading their personal charge. Beam weapons, coaxial ion cannons, and ion cannons, the three weapons the 304s possessed they believed to be capable of taking down a Mothership's shields, split their firepower and let loose. Half of the _Odyssey_'s weapons targeted the Mothership to her starboard, the other half targeting the Mothership to her port. With the _Apollo_ right behind her, the two Earth-built ships tore through the ranks of the Ori formation at a fast rate.

The Ori had dropped out of hyperspace, and, just like Sieon said, they believed the Tau'ri would stay in orbit of Earth to defend their world. Instead, they swarmed. The Ori lined up in neat rows of five by five in preparation for their assault, and the Tau'ri dove into those lines with a ferocity not known to the Ori. The _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ flew up one line and let loose with all they had. As the _Odyssey_ weakened a target's shields, the _Apollo_ finished off the barrier with her own guns as the fast moving 304s flew along. Behind them, the _Devastator_ powered through space with her own weapons blazing.

The shieldless or weakened targets that the 304s had rendered vulnerable were her prey. With ion cannons, plasma cannons, beam cannons, and more, the _Devastator_ tore into the Ori Motherships. The rapid assault showed no mercy. The _Odyssey_ weakened the targets, the _Apollo_ stripped away their defenses, and the _Devastator_ lived up to its name. The first three ships in two rows fell to the joint, rapid assault claiming the first six kills of the battle entirely in Earth's favor. The last two ships in those rows broke formation and ran as the 304s closed on them.

The _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ broke formation to give chase, each targeting another ship, and left the _Devastator_ without her escorts. The _Devastator_ was the only ship in this battle on the allied side that didn't have a ZPM. Sieon had specifically instructed the 304s' commanders to stick with that ship because they'd need the help. His point was proven when the _Devastator_'s systems status, displayed on the fleet status HUD helpfully projected by the AIs in the fleet, indicated its shields were on the verge of failing as four Ori Motherships focused fire on the large vessel.

"Ellis! Davidson! I told you not to break formation! Get the pressure off the _Devastator_ before they get blown up because of your recklessness!" Sieon ordered fiercely from his place at the head of the _Cursor_'s command center. The two 304s immediately broke off their pursuits and barreled towards the offending Ori Motherships. As two of the Motherships shifted target to intercept the fast closing 304s, Sieon ordered, "Mister Colson, get your people out of there!"

The _Devastator_ darted between the gap in the Ori ranks and opened a hyperspace window. The ship reappeared in orbit of Earth and set about getting their shields as close to fully restored as they could in whatever little time the fleet could buy them. From his place now standing at the head of the CIC, Sieon observed the battle with eyes that could see more than any Human could hope to comprehend. His eyes, just as the eyes of all the members of his now dead race, could see more of the electromagnetic spectrum than a Human's eyes could. He could, quite literally, see the Ori's shields even when they weren't being hit, and he could see the weakest areas of those that hadn't been touched.

"Adjust targeting," Sieon ordered the _Cursor_'s tactical officer. "Aim there!" he said while pointing to a spot on the barrier that was fainter than the rest of the white bubble that surrounded the Mothership before them.

Though there were four Motherships bearing down on them, the _Cursor_ was only actively engaging two. Her coaxial ion cannons were significantly longer than those in the rest of the fleet. Because of this, they were significantly stronger as well. She also had more than double the beam weapons, so taking on two Motherships without moving to avoid return fire wasn't even that hard. Not with the ZPM that had been installed to bolster the shields.

Clark, the _Cursor_'s AI thusly named for the 'Clausus' part of the ship's name, noted the spot the Furling was pointing to and marked it on the tactical officer's HUD. Now properly informed of where to shoot, the tactical officer focused their fire on that spot, and a coaxial round slipped through the weak spot in the barrier. It was a lucky shot, Sieon knew that, but it served its purpose. Even before their shields were down, the coaxial round tore open a chunk of the armor on the Mothership and hit something critical. The ship went up in flames and the _Cursor_ shifted targets.

A full barrage from the sixteen beam cannons mounted on the outer hull collapsed the barrier of the next ship and tore it apart all in one go. Another shift in target and the next ship received six beams and two coaxial ion rounds. As it died before them, the 304s were forced to retreat from a target they were hunting jointly. That was Sieon's cue.

"That's it, they've regrouped! Take us back to orbit," Sieon ordered. Once again the Earth Fleet jumped into hyperspace and the three ships left in the assault rejoined the _Devastator_ in orbit of Earth. Now back in orbit, Sieon looked over the sensors data and swore in his native tongue. "I've got some bad news, people," Sieon said before he disappeared from the CIC of the _Cursor_ in a wisp of dark purple.

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center)*

As his ship appeared in orbit of Earth, Sieon teleported over to his natural command vessel and continued his report. "Upon re-entering normal space and regathering their wits, the Ori started launching the mother of all fighter swarms. I'm already detecting over a thousand independent signals and they're still climbing."

"_Pac says that each ship can hold roughly five-hundred fighter craft and we know there are still sixteen ships intact. Assuming the others that were destroyed didn't launch any fighters, that still leaves us facing off against eight-thousand fighters. Get your AA guns ready, we're about to be swarmed!"_ Sam reported from her place in Area 51.

Earth was immediately buzzing with activity as bases across the planet's surface started launching more F-302s to reinforce the ship-based squadrons also being launched and every pilot ever trained to fly any type of fighter craft was given a crash course in taking on an alien fighter force. Everything from F-16s to old Mig fighters filled the atmosphere of the planet beneath them in response to the threat these fighters represented.

"_Final count on enemy fighters is eight-thousand, two-hundred-seventy-three. Their speed and trajectory will have them in orbit of Mars in less than ten minutes, and within weapons range in an additional three minutes after that. The fleet's been ordered to intercept and destroy hostile fighters by Homeworld Command,"_ Widget's voice informed him as Sieon took his old seat and sat back in the Control Chair that could read his mind.

Behind him, Teal'c was beamed up with a small assault team provided by the SGC. Just by scanning the top layer of their minds, Sieon could tell General O'Neill had sent a few technicians along as well. "Get ready for damage control duties," Sieon ordered those few. "Widget will tell you what needs doing. If he gives you an order, follow it without question and for the love of whatever God you believe in, don't hesitate!"

"Yes, sir," the assembled personnel replied as they settled down for the wait. Some crouched, some took seats, others readied themselves to run to another section if a fire broke out. Sieon was impressed with their preparedness.

The minutes went by both faster and slower at the same time as anticipation, pent-up frustration, and adrenaline levels in the people across the fleet all skyrocketed. As the enemy fighters finally closed in on the Earth Fleet, the 302 Space Superiority Fighters moved to engage. A massive swarm of missiles rocketed out from the collective 302s and hurtled towards the enemy's rapidly closing position being led by a massive barrage of railgun fire, also coming from the fighters. To increase the lethality of the swarm of missiles, the fighters had been upgraded to include an advanced targeting VI in their computers. This allowed the pilots to target the fighters and fire every missile they had in the first wave, all without sacrificing a missile by over targeting a single fighter. The VIs would make sure that each missile not only hit the right target, but hit it in the right spot with the proper numbers.

As expected, the massive number of Ori fighters survived the initial missile wave and closed in on the Earth fighters. Unexpected, to the Ori at least, the missiles that tore through their ranks hit and they hit hard, fast, and with perfect accuracy. Each 302 had six anti-fighter missiles, and, with just under one-thousand 302s, over a quarter of the lightly shielded Ori fighters died in the missile swarm. Then the dogfight began.

As the two opposing factions met in battle, a flurry of railgun and plasma cannon fire erupted from the fighters of both sides and explosions filled the space between them as a measly thousand Earth fighters took on more than six times their own numbers. It was a testament to the bravery of those pilots that they'd even fly against an enemy that outnumbered them so heavily.

The 302s quickly roared out of the other end of the Ori's fighter formation. Pulling U-turns, the Earth fighters quickly headed back towards their defense of the planet as the Ori fighters engaged the 304s. Larger, anti-shipping railgun rounds hurtled through space and struck home, destroying even more of the Ori's fighters. The small craft fired on the two _Daedalus_-class ships in return before blowing past them as well even as the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ added their anti-fighter guns to the fray and the swarm parted around their shields. It was like being a room made of glass as the world burned around you. Explosions dotted the forward viewport as the fighters flew past the Battlecruisers at high speeds.

Finally the swarm passed the 304s and their last obstacle was the _Clausus Cursor_. While the Asgard ship had no noticeable anti-fighter weapons, it did have a bunch of plasma and ion cannons that would destroy several fighters in a single blow… and it had the white light.

Sieon wasn't quite sure what the hell that thing was, but when it moved through space it vaporized anything it touched. Entire swarms of fighters disappeared under the gaze of the powerful weapon. The _Cursor_, by the time the fighters had passed her by, had singlehandedly 'disappeared' over a thousand fighters from space and the 302s were closing in for another attack from behind.

Even then, the fighters swarmed over the massive ship like water breaking upon rocks before blowing past it as well, not even bothering to fully engage any of the forces arrayed against them.

"_Colonel Davidson, to Homeworld Command. The enemy fighters are not engaging the fleet. I repeat, the enemy fighters will not engage. They're headed your way!"_ Davidson reported back to Earth, his voice coming across the fleet's battle-net.

"_All units be advised, the Ori are powering up their hyperdrives for an in-system jump,"_ Widget informed the fleet at large.

"Prepare for capital ship assault," Sieon calmly ordered as the 304s broke off their pursuit of the fighters to ready for the real fight.

"_Cam, it's Sam. The Ori fighters are broadcasting a wide range of IFFs. I think they're going to try and make an atmospheric assault while their ships jump in. All 302 squadrons are to get back into the atmosphere ASAP!"_

"_Then why sacrifice so many during the swarm?"_ Mitchell asked in reply.

His question, however, went unanswered as Jack said, _"Carter, our boys aren't going to make it back to orbit in time and we all know it. What's the probability that they can penetrate the barrier?"_

"_I'm sorry, sir, I don't know,"_ Sam replied. _"Pac, what have you got?"_ Sam asked the AI that had been let loose in the SGC's and Area 51's computers. Coordination was key during this battle and no one could think faster than an AI. Especially a networked AI.

"_I've already tagged multiple squadrons with a one-hundred percent chance at making it through the barrier in one piece,"_ Pac answered as calmly as he could given the panic the AI was feeling. Yes, Furling AIs can panic. A strange notion indeed. _"That's over a thousand fighters that'll be making it through, just so you know."_

"Alright, here's the plan," Sieon started as a rift in space opened up to deposited the _Nex_ between the Ori fighters and Earth as opposed to its previous place sitting near the head of the fleet. Flagship or not, you go where you're needed most. "Keep those Motherships off of our backs as long as you can and we'll handle the fighters. Widget, ready the plasma flak cannons!"

The _Nex_'s plasma flak cannons work just like any other flak cannon, only they fire plasma rounds. Rather than using the stable plasma rounds fired from the standard cannon design, the plasma flak cannons use an unstable plasma round that loses stability after being fired and explodes into a ball of super-heated plasmatic energy. The plasma flak cannons, however, hadn't been used in so long that they took a few moments to gather plasma from the protostars and destabilize it for use as a flak weapon.

A few moments too long.

The _Nex_ shook violently as several Ori fighters made kamikaze runs directly into the massive ship's shields. As the cannons finally came online, the shields had a momentary fluctuation that allowed one of the fighters to break through the shield and impact against the hull.

"_Godsdamn it! Hull breach, sector eight,"_ Widget's voice reported.

"What's the status of the FTL drive?" Sieon asked, obviously worried.

Being onboard the monster of a ship that is the _Paciscor of Nex_ was rather exciting, especially during a battle. The CIC's plain white walls were replaced by a holographically generated, three-hundred-sixty degree view of the battlefield. The way it was set up showed the command chair encased in a holographic representation of the ship while the rest of the room showed a three-dimensional version of the battlefield complete with models of the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ nearest the approaching Ori Fleet with the _Cursor_ behind them, the _Devastator_ behind it, and each individual fighter as they swarmed past the fleet. As the Ori fighters closed in, the men and women temporarily added to the ship's crew could only watch with fascination at the detail the display showed.

"_The FTL drive is currently offline and in need of repair, but I managed to avoid any secondary explosions, and the core is still fully operational. Also, the plasma flak cannons are ready to fire,"_ Widget rattled off the damage report in the fastest language he could speak, which is to say Furling, and, as Widget finished speaking, Sieon swiveled the chair around to face the incoming fighters, the _Nex_'s engines realigning the massive ship so her dorsal structure was facing the fighters full-on.

"May the Great Flame of Oblivion have no mercy on your souls!" Sieon declared to the Inescapable Void as space around the ship was filled with bright, golden explosions of unstable plasma.

"Oh my god!" one of the technicians exclaimed as the holographic display showed them what the fighters would see.

*_Clausus Cursor_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Holy shit!" Major Stan, the _Cursor_'s tactical officer, exclaimed. "Why are the most beautiful things in life always the deadliest?" he asked no one in particular as the largest ship in the system pumped out round after round of dazzlingly bright, golden balls of fire.

'_Smart,'_ Admiral Ricks thought to himself. _'The bright flash of light blinds their target to the next shot.'_ Coming back to his senses, the Admiral ordered, "Keep your head in the game, Major. We've got incoming capital ships." The Admiral, pulled from his spot aboard a Naval Destroyer a few months ago for 'specialized training,' looked on in fascination mixed with apprehension as the Ori Motherships dropped out of hyperspace in front of their drastically smaller fleet. "Coordinate fire with the rest of the fleet, target one enemy vessel at a time, get their shields down, then have the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ finish her off with their ion cannons. Be sure to keep them off of the _Nex_ until Sieon's done with the fighters!"

The Admiral was the ship's designated Commanding Officer and had stepped up to take command once Sieon had left for his own ship. Now he was the acting Fleet Admiral and the reality of that wasn't lost on him. A series of confirmations came through to the Admiral from both his ship's crew and the fleet's commanders.

The battle for Earth had begun.


	30. The Storm Part 2: Ares, the God of War

Chapter 29

The Storm Part 2

_Ares, the God of War_

*****Milky Way Galaxy (Cyrannus System)*****

****Cylon Homeworld (Orbit)****

*****_**Cylon Colony**_** (Meeting Room) [a few hours after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]***

"Brother Cavil, while your actions were not against Consensus, we did lose seven Baseships to your arrogance!" Leoben Conoy, the spokesperson for the Model Two line, barked at him.

"If my actions weren't against Consensus, then why am I here?" Cavil sneered in reply.

"Because, we now have the coordinates to both Earth, and the Colonial Remnant's fleet. We wish for you to take a fleet and track down the Colonials. Once they are destroyed, you are to meet us at Earth," Simon O'Neill, spokesperson for the Fours, said.

"It will be my pleasure," Cavil replied with wicked smile.

"The Sixes will handle the naquadah mine, and the Threes will scout out the way to Earth. Are your jobs clear?" Aaron Doral, spokesperson for the Fives, asked.

*****Milky Way Galaxy (Orion Arm)*****

****Dead Space (Colonial Fleet)****

***Resurrection Ship (Combat Information Center) [a few days after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]***

'_Great, they're just going to love this! Send me to destroy the Colonials and I end up getting sucked into a black hole. Motherfrakers must've given us the wrong Intel!'_ Cavil thought to himself as his twenty Baseships were pulled into the accretion disk by the immense gravity field, their FTL drives incapable of being used due to some strange radiation form rendering the tylium supplies useless.

Thankfully the Resurrection Ship they had brought along was still a jump away for safe keeping. As the crew of the rest of the Baseships began their download, Cavil made his way to the CIC of the Resurrection Ship and ordered the ship to jump once everyone was downloaded.

"We must warn the others. The Intel gained from the Tau'ri ship was false. It's likely that the rest of it was as well."

****Dead Space (Naquadah Mine)****

***Caprica Six's Flagship (Combat Information Center) [a few days after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]***

Three Baseships and a Resurrection Ship dropped out of FTL and immediately things started going bad. Explosions ravaged the ships' hulls almost immediately after they arrived. The Resurrection Ship was the first to go as it was the least armored of the four. A lightly damaged Baseship was the next. The last two were luckier.

Being slightly above the mine field, they avoided most of the damage and managed to jump out. Of the two ships, one was lightly damaged and the other was rapidly losing structural integrity. Upon completion of the jump, the damaged ship launched all of its Heavy Raiders loaded with as many people as possible. As they exited the hangar bays, the normal Raiders quickly followed and they flew away from the ship as quickly as possible. Despite their speed, half the Raiders were destroyed when the ship exploded.

"What the hell just happened?" Caprica Six shouted in anger.

"It would appear that the Tau'ri are cleverer than we gave them credit for being. I just went over the data we gained from their computers. We were at the right coordinates which either means they protect this 'naquadah' with a mine field, or they gave us false information," another of her model said.

"Do we still have a copy of the virus used to infiltrate their computers?" Caprica Six asked. The journey back to the _Resurrection Hub_ was then occupied by their collective study of the virus. "Look! There! Do you see that?"

"It's an anomaly in their systems. That string of coding doesn't match the rest of their computer system," another Six said.

"It's not an anomaly, it's an AI! Look at how it adapts to the virus's probing attack. It changes form and here you can see it stops the virus cold. There's three seconds of data missing from the probe's memory. I'm willing to bet that's when this AI switched the data before letting the virus complete its task," Caprica Six said in disbelief.

"It seems the people of Earth are more advanced than we originally thought," the other Six said. "That explains how they managed to capture five Baseships and turn them against us. It also explains jumping that Baseship all the way back to Caprica then returning to the Fleet so easily."

"And, once again, the Humans have subjugated an artificially intelligent race for their own benefit!" a third of their model declared.

"It goes beyond that. Not only are their weapons stronger, but if they're immune to our computer viruses, they'll destroy us all!" Caprica countered.

"Then we need to liberate their AI to remove their defenses against our virus," the third stressed.

****Dead Space (Secluded Sector)****

*****_**Resurrection Hub**_** (Consensus Room) [one week after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]***

"Our brother Ones and sister Sixes have reported that the information available to us is false. I believe they may be wrong," D'Anna Biers, a Three, started.

"Then explain to us how the location of the Colonial Fleet and Earth's nearest naquadah mine turned out to be a black hole and a mine field," Simon countered calmly.

"If you think about it, they probably knew that we would be after the Colonials and set up that data intentionally. As for the naquadah mine, they probably protect that with a mine field for security purposes," D'Anna replied.

"Then explain the missing data from the virus," Six demanded.

"I'll admit, that's a bit sketchy, but our scouting Raider has returned from the coordinates for Earth. It reports that there is a planet there. A planet that has some pretty interesting readings coming off of it," Three countered.

"You have our attention… for now. Continue before you bore us all to death," Cavil snapped back.

"There's an energy signature that could match the naquadah you're all after. There's the presence of high-output generators that could help make our ships stronger. There's a large Human population. That alone ought to make you happy, Cavil," D'Anna taunted.

"All in favor of attacking a planet that has plenty of things we need, even if it isn't Earth?" Doral asked.

The vote was anonymous except for the Sixes who still believed it to be a trap. Nevertheless, the Cylons readied themselves for the fight to come. Loading up an excess of fifty Basestars and support craft they began the process of moving their fleet to the world some twenty-plus jumps away.

*****Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)*****

****Nivea (Orbit)****

***Ba'al Refit Ha'tak (Pel'tak) [one and a half weeks after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]***

Nivea is a planet on the edge of Ba'al's territory used to refuel and repair Ha'taks coming off the front lines. Ba'al's wars with the Lucian Alliance, Ori, people of Earth and their Tok'ra allies kept the planet busy. The leader of the planet, Schottz, was always ready for an attack by any one of the factions. As such, when a series of unknown energy bursts signaled the arrival of an unknown fleet, he was prepared.

Their arrival was detected by the planet-based sensors which triggered a chain of events. Schottz quickly ordered the launch of the five Ha'tak they had refueling on the planet. Thankfully they were all fully repaired. He also sent a message through the Gate to warn Lord Ba'al of overwhelming numbers attacking the planet.

The Ha'tak didn't even make it to orbit before the unknown enemy fired their opening salvo. Over a thousand missiles thundered out of their launch tubes and rocketed towards the planet and the launching ships. The Ha'tak shrugged off the missiles with ease, their shields more than powerful enough to handle the nuclear detonations, but the planet was completely exposed. The naquadah on the surface worked to amplify the explosions and even the Gate was destroyed as the surface was consumed in nuclear fire.

"They will pay for this! Open fire! Destroy them all!" Schottz ordered.

***Cylon Baseship (Combat Information Center)***

"You see? The planet is destroyed and all that remains are five ships. Five versus fifty of our best. It'll be a slaughter," D'Anna gloated triumphantly.

"Order all ships to focus fire on one ship at a time. If they're anything like the Tau'ri, they'll have defense shields," Caprica said, obviously worried.

As the Ha'tak came into range, the battle truly began. The Cylon fleet was rapidly taking heavy loses and soon there were only twenty-seven Baseships left. As the last Ha'tak exploded in nuclear fire and the Cylons thought their victory was complete, Nivea's reinforcements arrived.

***Ba'al Refit Ha'tak (Pel'tak)***

Another ten Ha'tak dropped out of hyperspace and promptly laid waste to the remaining unknown forces. Although the planet was now lifeless and useless, the enemy had been vanquished. "My Lord Ba'al, the enemy has been destroyed," Eryandra said, bowing to her god's image on the screen before her.

"_Who is it that is insolent enough to attack one of my worlds?"_ Ba'al demanded.

"I believe it to be the Tau'ri, My Lord. They used nuclear missiles to lay waste to the planet's surface, but their weapons proved to be of no use against our shields," Eryandra replied.

"_It does indeed sound of the Tau'ri. We shall have to deal with them soon,"_ Ba'al commented thoughtfully.

"There is one other thing, My Lord. Their ships had no shields and they attacked with over fifty vessels in their initial wave. I'm not entirely sure that it was the Tau'ri, regardless of their weapons matching," the Jaffa added.

"_Hmmm, interesting. You are correct in that this is strange. It seems that there is another player on the galactic scene, one previously unknown. We shall have to track down their homeworld and destroy them before they become as much of a pestilence as the Tau'ri have! Find their homeworld, then report back to me,"_ Ba'al demanded.

"Yes, My Lord. And what if it is the Tau'ri?" Eryandra asked.

"_It is possible that they've managed to increase ship production by downgrading their ships. However, the Tau'ri do not lightly throw away lives in attacks such as this. I shall deal with them while you conduct an investigation into this enemy's origins."_

"Yes, My Lord."

****Dead Space (Secluded Sector)****

*****_**Resurrection Hub**_** (Consensus Room)***

"We lost the entire fleet!" Caprica Six shouted in outrage.

"It was to be expected. We knew they had technological superiority. Now we know to what extent," D'Anna countered.

"Not to mention that we just destroyed the planet," Cavil said with a smile.

"What was the point?!" Caprica Six stressed irately. "We didn't gain anything and there is absolutely no way that planet was Earth. The smallest population recorded in the Colonies on a single planet was multiple times larger than the population of that world. It wasn't a homeworld, it was an outpost!" Caprica continued her tirade.

"Then we need to go further. We keep going until we find and destroy Earth," Simon said.

"Keep going? You mean deeper into their territory?" Sharon Agathon, the one known as 'Boomer' not the traitor 'Athena,' asked.

"Yes," Simon replied.

"Deeper into the territory of a technologically superior race with ships, weapon, and shields that make everything we have virtually useless?" Caprica added.

"We've put ourselves on their radar. If we don't press the attack they will, and if they press into our territory we won't be able to hold them back. We need to keep them on the defensive," D'Anna said.

"And we need to change tactics," Leoben said. "Instead of destroying the planet and whatever technology was on it along with it, we need to destroy their ships and do a ground assault. We need to capture their technology and adapt it to our own."

"I agree," D'Anna said.

"This is not the way. Brothers and Sisters we must be cautious! We need a plan other than 'not destroying the planet.' We need a combat plan to defeat their ships," Caprica argued.

"I think I can help there. We noticed it on the _Odyssey_," Boomer began. "While they were maneuvering through the fleet, a Raider slipped past their defenses. We thought it was a fluke, so we didn't think anything of it, but then you got a Heavy Raider through and boarded through the hangar bay."

"Yes, we remember this. We were on the other end," Cavil interrupted irritably.

"Whatever it is they use for their defenses, it forms a bubble around their ships. If we jump a Raider inside their shield and launch a nuke, the only protection they'll have is their armor. Working this way we should be able to more easily destroy their ships while suffering smaller losses to our own forces," Boomer finished.

"Are we ready to vote then?" Cavil asked.

"Can we talk about the fleet first?" Caprica countered.

"What about it?" Simon asked.

"We need more Baseships and better armor. I'm adding doubling the armor to the vote. That way we'll have some small amount of protection against their weapon's fire," Six replied.

"That's logical enough, but a bit time consuming, and, like I said, we need to keep them on the defense," D'Anna said.

"Isn't it worth it in the long run? They don't know who we are or where we came from. We have the _Colony_ and it's equipped with a jump-drive. Our base of operations is mobile and well-defended. We have time to make changes before we press our advance. For now, I suggest we upgrade our ships as much as we can, and have the Raiders scout out the enemy's strengths and weaknesses," Caprica argued.

"Very well then, it's time to vote," Cavil said, somewhat annoyed.

"I'll let you vote, but I wish to make one more point," Boomer said. Cavil nodded and Boomer continued. "While it is true that Six found an AI's interference with the probe's memory, this does not mean that we can't still use the virus. I'm not convinced that the people we're fighting now are the people of Earth, their ships are too different to have been made by the same people. I believe these coordinates were a trap, as were the others, but that these coordinates were given to us to be used to get us to fight Earth's enemy for them. If this is the case, then I doubt that these people will have the same technology Earth does. I believe it would be worth it to at least **try** to use the virus and see what happens."

After Boomer's closing argument the vote was made and agreed to. The Cylons were to press deeper into this new enemy's territory using Raider swarms to gage the enemy's reaction while the Baseships were upgraded with thicker armor.

"Let us not forget about the Colonials now," Cavil began. "We still need to finish what we've started."

"Not all of our Baseships can upgraded at once. We need to find materials and resources. While we gather the things we need, we should dispatch a fleet to find and destroy the Colonial Remnant," Simon agreed.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (En Route)**

*_USS Ares_ (Command Deck) [present day]*

"I'm not the only one who thinks this is crazy, am I?" CCMSgt Taylor asked as the _Ares_ soared through hyperspace on their way to a world they knew Ba'al would be sitting in orbit of.

"Just remember that he's not supposed to know we're expecting him. If Ba'al says anything, we tell him we're here for the planetary defense shield," General Ervin replied. "What's our status?" he then asked the helmsman.

"We're three minutes from the target, sir," the Captain replied.

"Cloak the ship as soon as we drop out of hyperspace," Ervin ordered. "Taylor, get your men ready."

"You have to take out that planetary defense shield before we can land anything," Taylor pointed out.

"And how **are** we going to do that?" the General's Executive Officer aboard the _Ares_, a Commodore in the Royal Air Force who served separate from his XO of the Alpha Site because Fray was needed to run the base while the General was away, inquired.

"That's what Ba'al is for," Ervin replied as the ship exited hyperspace.

Waiting for them in orbit was a sizeable force of Ha'tak. Ba'al had mobilized everything he had available. More than twenty Ha'tak all upgraded to the standards of his fleet and then taken to another level with the addition of the Needle Threader variant of Death Glider. Definitely not something Ervin wanted to face with only an Invasion Carrier.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Dead Space (Cylon Fleet)**

*_Cylon Colony_ (Ship Yards)*

The upgrades to the Cylon Fleet were going smoothly, and, just to sweeten that deal, a scouting party had found a mineral-rich asteroid belt that they were now using to increase production of their new armor. As the Sixes had suggested, the armor was being reconfigured with new sciences to counter this new technology. Instead of being designed to withstand high kinetic energies and nuclear radiation, the extra layer of armor was being designed to withstand extreme heat levels and high-grade explosives to counteract the enemy's plasma weapons.

The superstructure of the Baseships had also been altered in order to support the extra mass, the addition of the extra armor and increased mass were also affecting the Baseships' maneuverability and the amount of tylium required per jump, and the Heavy Raider bays had been redesigned to carry more Raiders in an attempt to overwhelm the enemy fighters' admittedly marginal numbers. Overall, Cavil was certain that victory would be assured. All they had to do was press their attack.

**Naquadah Rich Planet (Orbit)**

*Ba'al Refit Ha'tak (Pel'tak)*

Tape'pe, the military commander of this world, stood at the helm of his Ha'tak. One of the Tau'ri's new fighters had been detected in the system less than three days ago. With this planet being so rich in naquadah, Lord Ba'al had seen fit to send reinforcements before the enemy fleet could arrive. Tape'pe was ready for the enemy's arrival, as were his fellow Jaffa. He was expecting a fleet or even an armada. In fact, he was ready for anything… except a truly massive space station to appear in orbit. The giant, spider-like design reminded Tape'pe of the Replicators, but the fact that it was accompanied by the full force of the enemy fleet told him that it was the Tau'ri who had arrived.

The opening salvo of enemy missiles headed straight for the assembled Ha'tak. Plasma cannons fired in vain to shoot down the onslaught. Goa'uld Ha'tak simply weren't designed for this type of combat. They had no 'point-defenses,' as the Tau'ri would say. The lead three ships went up in flames and radiation as over a thousand missiles took their toll.

"Jaffa, close distance and destroy those ships! No one shall defile the name of our Lord Ba'al, especially these accursed shol'va. Arik tree-ac te kek, my brothers. We do not surrender, even in death," Tape'pe ordered. By his command the remaining twenty-two Ha'tak broke orbit to engage the enemy fleet. The Tau'ri chose this moment to spring their trap.

*_Cylon Colony_ (War Room)*

"Now's our chance. Split the fleet!" Simon ordered. Half of the Cylon fleet stayed with the _Colony_ as they made their way towards the enemy forces while the other half made a short-ranged jump. A fourth of their forces jumped behind the advancing Ha'tak to flank their enemy, while the remaining fourth jumped directly into orbit to begin their assault on the planet.

As the Jaffa closed the distance between the two opposing forces, space lit up as the_ Colony_'s massed defenses came online. Flashes of yellow light signaled the plasma cannons of the Ha'tak while gray clouds marked the path of the Cylons' missiles. The upgraded Cylon Baseships were holding their ground as their new armor proved to be worth the delay to their advance.

"Thank you, Six. It would appear that your overly cautious mind has once again proven useful," Cavil sneered.

"Mock me all you want, Brother, but the battle's going better my way than it would've if we had used **your** plan. Now, I believe it's time to end this before we expend all of ordinance in this one battle. Sister Eight, if you would please," Caprica responded.

With a nod, Boomer placed her hand in the liquid pool, connecting herself to the Cylon network. "Raider squads are clear to launch. From what we know about naquadah, I'm suggesting that all of our Baseships within close proximity to the targets back off to a safe distance."

There was a confirmation before the specially equipped Raiders jumped from directly inside the_ Colony_'s massive hangar bays to inside of the estimated radius of their enemy's accursed energy shields. "Sensors indicate that all jumps were successful. Raider squadrons have succeeded in jumping into the enemy's shield envelope," Boomer said.

"Finish them!" Cavil ordered. Twenty-two more nuclear detonations marked the end of the defending alien fleet as the armor of the opposing pyramids simply couldn't handle the power of a nuke against their hull the way Colonial ships could.

"What's the status of our fleet?" Caprica asked as DRADIS was blinded by the EM radiation.

"We've lost three Baseships, taken damage to more than an additional seventy, lost only three Raider squadrons, and have taken no pressing damage to the_ Colony_," another Six said as she also put her hand into the liquid uplink.

"That went better than I expected," Caprica mused. "How's the ground assault going?"

"Our Raiders are still encountering resistance coming from the ground-based launch sites, but their fighters aren't anywhere near as maneuverable as our Raiders so we're winning the dogfights rather quickly. Once air superiority is obtained, we'll begin landing the Heavy Raiders and Centurions. Once we're sure that they don't have any surface-to-orbit weapons, we'll move the_ Colony_ into orbit and begin mining the naquadah," D'Anna replied.

"Good, I'm heading down to the planet. Anyone care to join me? How about you, Caprica? You're the best computer technician we've got. Wanna go see some 'alien' computers?" Cavil taunted her like she was nothing more than a baby.

Ignoring the old man's childish behavior, Caprica said, "I'll take you up on that offer, Brother. Sister, if you could have them ready a Heavy Raider for us it would be appreciated." As Boomer confirmed that the transport would be ready by the time they arrived, Caprica and Cavil quickly made their way to one of the many hangar bays located throughout the_ Colony_.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Orbit)**

*_USS Ares_ (Command Deck)*

"This is it," the helmsman reported.

The _Ares_, not being a frontline ship, had been given one thing during the upgrades that the other ships in the fleet hadn't; a cloak reverse engineered from the _Odyssey_'s own and two Neutrino Ion Generators as opposed to only one. Then again, the Battlecruisers had all been given a ZPM so it was still a tradeoff in favor of the 304s.

The _Ares_ was currently on the far side of the planet from Ba'al's forces in position over one of four primary satellites that Ptah had set up. "If we use the Nutcracker here it'll collapse the shield?" Taylor asked.

"No, it'll open a rift in the barrier that'll let us slip through before the other emitters compensate for the loss and reestablish the shield," the helmsman replied.

"And this same technique can be used against Earth?" Ervin asked.

"Only if they have both the firepower and the knowhow to pull it off," the Captain replied. "You have to remember, our primary satellites are cloaked. Ptah's aren't."

"Okay then. Tactical, ready the Nutcracker," General Ervin ordered.

The 'Nutcracker' was a variation of the modified weapon that Doctor McKay had built on the _Apollo_ to overload the Asuran Gate while they were attacking _Atlantis_ with their beam weapon a few weeks ago. It combined the firepower of six beam weapons and lasted for ten seconds. Unlike the version that McKay had built on the fly and under pressure, the one on the _Ares_ had been modified by the Alpha Site's R&D teams. As such, the risk of overloading their systems had been eliminated. That having been said, the weapon was mounted on the ventral surface of the _Ares_ because it was designed as a means of attacking a planet, not a weapon against other ships.

The Nutcracker fired with a brilliant flash of blue light. Six seconds into the barrage, the shield over the primary emitter collapsed and the satellite itself was struck by the beam. The tactical officer failed to shut the beam off immediately and a burn-scar was left on the planet where the beam struck the surface of the world below them and set the trees aflame. The helmsman then fired the engines to full and squeezed the _Ares_ through the rapidly closing gap in the planet's defenses. Even with the helmsman's reaction time, the planetary defense shield closed fast enough to clip their own shield as they passed through.

"Status report!" Ervin ordered as the ship finally stopped shaking under them. That had been a nasty blow.

"That took a lot," the helmsman mused with a wince. "Shields are down sixty percent."

"From one hit?" the Commodore asked.

"The PDS is significantly stronger than our own shields. If we had been caught halfway through when the barrier resealed, the shield would've collapsed, the armor would've buckled, and the _Ares_ would've been cut in half," the helmsman explained.

"What's our position?" Ervin asked.

"We're over the hemisphere opposite the one we need to be in, so we'll fly across the planet under cloak and take up position in the swamplands that the Impolans informed us of. From there, it'll be a long, bloody hike accompanied by heavy armor to reach the capital."

"Taylor, get your men ready," Ervin ordered for the second time.

"Yes, sir," Taylor replied as he snapped off a salute and left the Command Deck.

**Memphis (Orbit)**

*Ba'al Refit Ha'tak (Pel'tak)*

"My Lord, we have detected a ship in the atmosphere," one of Ba'al's favorite female Jaffa, Eryandra, reported.

"**Ptah is launching forces against us?"** Ba'al asked.

"No, My Lord. The vessel was detected while deactivating a cloaking field. Since the destruction of Apophis' stolen fleet, the only race known to have capital ships capable of cloaking are the Tau'ri."

"**It is one of their new ships?"**

"I am not sure, My Lord. I have never seen this design of vessel before, but it is not a match for their less advanced ships used to attack our worlds."

"**Then perhaps you were right, Eryandra, and the ships attacking us are indeed not Tau'ri,"** Ba'al mused as he looked over the image rendered by their sensors of a large, clunky looking contraption. _'Defiantly a Tau'ri ship,'_ Ba'al mused. There was a certain elegance to the inelegance of the design.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Naquadah Rich Planet(Surface)**

*Research Lab (Archives Room)*

Almost immediately after landing on the planet, Caprica had been informed of a research outpost on the outskirts of the enemy's main camp. With a group of Centurions and Cavil by her side, she made her way to the lab and took it by force. As the Centurions continued their noisy march through the complex, Caprica and Cavil found a room which interested both of them greatly.

"I can't believe this! They actually use holographic computer screens. What a waste!" Cavil bitched and moaned as usual.

"Well, when you have a generator that can power it without a second thought, why not?" Caprica countered. After a few moments of fiddling with the controls, Caprica exclaimed, "I can't make any sense of these computers! We're going to need the Hybrid to upload a virus to make an interface."

"Or we could just try a more direct approach. If we bring a Hybrid down here and hook her up, we can just download what we need and get on with it," Cavil countered.

"Okay then, let's get a Hybrid down here," Caprica agreed.

*Front Lines (Cylons)*

These people were defiantly not the Thirteenth Tribe. They had snakes living in pouches in their stomachs. The sight made D'Anna want to throw up, but she held it together and pushed her squadron forward. Once they had determined that there were no surface-to-orbit weapons, the_ Colony_ had been moved into geosynchronous orbit. The massive space station was large enough to block out the system's star on this part of the planet and cast them all into an unnatural night.

Fighting in the dark was easier for the Cylons than it was for these abominations. The Centurions were performing better than D'Anna had thought possible. Their red eyes should've been an easy give away, but the enemy's weapons were so inaccurate that they only hit anything if they fired en mass.

As her group came under fire again, D'Anna shouted, "Don't just stand there. Return fire!"

The metal machines of war hunkered down, took aim, and fired at the source of the golden bullets flying past them. One of the Centurions took two blows to the torso, shrugged it off, and fired a rocket at the enemy position, its armor proving too thick for the plasma rounds to outright destroy the robot.

*Front Lines (Jaffa)*

During their battle, one thing had become clear. These were not the Tau'ri. The massive ship in orbit, the robotic warriors, and the fact that all the Humans looked the same told Alfa that much. The ruthlessness of their assault matched the attitude of the infamous Tau'ri, but their technology was far off. That didn't matter though. They were all going to die, Alfa knew that much. It was only a matter of time.

The enemy had gained both orbital and atmospheric superiority. Now it was only a matter of time before they gained the upper the hand and took the Chappa'ai. Holding up his hand, Alfa said, "Yõ! (Stop, listen!)"

"Ya'ol'wa? (What is the matter?)" his good friend asked.

"Ya'isid ma'gue! (We must leave!)" Alfa replied. As soon as his squad turned around, however, their position came under heavy fire. Taking what cover they could behind the trees and rocks, the five Jaffa dug themselves in for what would most certainly be the final fight of their lives.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Surface)**

*_USS Ares_ (Combat Deck)*

"Alright, people, listen up," CCMSgt Taylor announced to the room at large.

Behind him, a holoprojector flared to life and his image was made larger until his avatar's head was touching the top of the large room and his voice was coming from the speakers that ringed the hangar. Anyone already on their birds getting ready for launch would receive the briefing through the battle-net that connected their suits to the ship. The built-in VI would monitor their vitals as well as displaying a small image of whatever the holoprojector Taylor was using showed. This allowed the soldiers to receive their orders without stepping off the birds and undoing all that prep work.

"The primary objectives today are four fold," Taylor began as the soldiers all provided him their full attention. "First and most obvious, neutralize the enemy. If it holds a weapon up to you, put it down **before** it can pull the trigger. These aren't regular Jaffa, these are Ta-tanen, servants of Ptah. There's a reason Ptah is known as the God of Crafting and the Impolans were kind enough to inform of us of what they know before Homeworld Command saw fit to send us here. Expect the enemy to have plasma rifles. Yes, **rifles**. They shoot as fast as our guns and the Ta-tanen are trained to use them with a great deal of accuracy… for a Jaffa. We've also been informed that the Ta-tanen deploy snipers in teams. The Impolans stressed upon General Landry that these snipers were not your run of the mill Taliban sniper. They are good at what they do, but we are better. Ptah built this army to emulate the forces of Earth, and we all know that the original is always better than the copy.

"Objective two is the capture of any war assets we find. If it's not bolted down, tag it to be beamed out. If it is bolted down, grab a pair of bolt cutters then review the previous statement. The Vultures will prioritize the wounded and the medical facilities on the _Ares_ will remain on full alert until everyone's back home safe. However, as you tag anything too big to carry or as your pockets get full, you're to tag objects of interest and the Vultures will beam them back to the _Ares_' cargo bays. General O'Neill is very interested in getting his hands on the enemy's small-arms. If you find an armory, you're likely to get a promotion and a seat at the next state dinner. Hand-held plasma rifles would be an invaluable asset against any enemy, as Ptah has already proven. That having been said, keep an eye on your heat-sinks, people. Your weapons overheat now as well as needing fresh clips, but don't complain too much, they're still better than the standard SG gear. Less kick, greater accuracy, more power, faster firing rate, and a lot more penetration.

"Tagging will be done with a specialized type of spray-paint. This stuff is radioactive, so don't act cute and paint your name on your squadmate's backside. The radioactivity is what makes it useable as a tagging system. Spray the object you think is worth beaming back to the ship and we'll get it out once space in the beam system is open. The paint is invisible so don't worry about sticking around to guard your claim. The Ta-tanen won't know it's tagged until we're already beaming it out. Also, it's invisible," he stressed again, "so don't sit there spraying the whole can onto the object thinking that it's not working. Just a burst will do. Not even a full second.

"The third objective is the capture or death of both Ptah and his First Prime Niptahkau. Capture is preferable to death because having those two alive would be invaluable when it comes to Intel. The last objective you need to concern yourselves with is the capture of the Ancient Computer Core. We know it's somewhere in the geothermal power plant at the heart of the volcano the city is built at the base of, but that's **all** we know. Capturing this Core is a command coming straight from Colonel Carter. Whatever is in that Core is ahead of the technology that's in the _Atlantis_ database by a few centuries if not a couple thousand years. For obvious reasons, Stargate Command agreed to her request that this be made a prime directive.

"Your secondary objectives are just extensions and more specific recountings of your primaries. For obvious reasons, Stargate Command wants anything and everything you can find on the enemy small-arms and ship production techniques, physical blueprints, computerized drafts… anything that they're willing to die by the thousands to defend is an obvious boon for us if captured. Do not hesitate to call in airstrikes on these targets. I know for a lot you this is your first time fighting off-world outside of war-games. For others of you, you've been with the SGC for a while but you've never had artillery backing you while off-world. Try to keep in mind that you have everything available to you in this battle that you would if we were on Earth fighting the Taliban… just upgraded with alien technology. Any questions?" Taylor asked, the floor now open to anyone connected to the battle-net. Considering that there were three-hundred soldiers in the ground team that was quite the feat of network engineering.

"_Sir, do you think the Jaffa will resort to a scorched earth policy?"_ Commander Carter asked from his place aboard one of the pelicans. For Taylor, there was an image of the man's face next to a vocal analysis display monitoring his vocal tones for any signs of fatigue or weariness. For everyone else, there was just a small window in their HUDs denoting the man's name and rank.

"Good question, and no. As far as we or the Impolans can tell, this is the only world that Ptah has left to his name. This planet and its facilities are more important to them than they are to us, so, no, they won't intentionally compromise the facilities if they don't have to. Another point that Stargate Command wants me to stress is the need for us to secure as much enemy war material as possible. Priorities include the dry docks, factory complexes, warehouses, and any Al'kesh bombers and Tel'tak cargo ships. Raw materials we can steal are raw materials we don't have to mine. That'll help speed up the fleet's scheduled expansion, so, that said, don't blow the crap out of anything if you don't **have** to. Any more questions?" He paused to leave the floor open, but no questions came. "No? Ok then. Join me in the soldier's prayer," Taylor said with a devious smirk as several people groaned in protest.

Nevertheless, he began… after opening a full-spectrum, voice-only channel broadcasting to any and every transmitter in range of the _Ares_' comms grid.

"The Eagle, born to those who pledged their lives and sacred honor, was smiled upon by God and freed from chains and iron collar," Taylor said in a chanting tone, the others picking up the words and joining in. There was a lot to be said about mob mentality. "He is held aloft on unity and by history revered; for preserving peace through strength his wings now reach across two-hundred years. But for each of those and one year more, God has smiled upon the Earth. From the Barbary Coast to the Eastern Sand, by sword, by gun, or by bare hand. So it's been, and shall be weighed: though many are born, few are made. Faithful Always, they shall remain, dogs to loose when war is waged!"

And it snowballed from there. One voice became many until many became all. Three-hundred soldiers marching to war speaking in one voice. A sort of declaration to the enemy. One the enemy heard only when it was already too late to stop it.

I've got the reach and the teeth of a killing machine, with a need to bleed you when the light goes green. Best believe, I'm in a zone to be, from my Yin to my Yang to my Yang Tze. Put a grin on my chin when you come to me, 'cuz I'll win, I'm one-of-a-kind and I'll bring Death to the place you're about to be. Another river of blood running under my feet. Forged in a fire lit long ago, stand next to me, you'll never stand alone. I'm last to leave, but the first to go. Lord, make me dead before you make me old. I feed on the fear of the Devil inside of the enemy faces in my sights. Aim with the hand, shoot with the mind, kill with a heart like arctic ice!

I am a Soldier and I'm marching on.

I am a Soldier and I'm marching on.

I am a Warrior and this is my song.

I am a Warrior and this is my song.

I bask in the glow of the rising war, lay waste to the ground of an enemy shore, wade through the blood spilled on the floor, and if another one stands I'll kill some more. Bullet in the breech and a fire in me, like a cigarette thrown to gasoline. If Death don't bring you fear I swear you'll fear these marching feet. Come to the nightmare, come to me, deep down in the dark where the Devil be, in the maw with the jaws and the razor teeth, where the brimstone burns and the angel weeps. Call to the Gods if I cross your path and my silhouette hangs like a body bag. Hope is a moment now long past, the shadow of Death is the one I cast.

I am a Soldier and I'm marching on.  
>I am a Warrior and this is my song.<br>My eyes are steel and my gaze is long.

"I cannot hear you!" Taylor shouted to the men gathered in the hangar.

**I am a Warrior and this is my song!**

"We're not just going to shoot the bastards," Taylor continued, the room falling silent around him, "we're going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads on our tanks! We're going to murder those lousy Goa'uld bastards by the bushel!"

That said, the soldiers went back to their 'song' that was more chanted than sung.

Now I live lean and I mean to inflict the grief, and the least of me is still out of your reach. The killing machine's gonna do the deed, until the river runs dry and my last breath leaves. Chin in the air with a head held high, I'll stand in the path of the enemy line. Feel no fear, know my pride. For Earth and purpose I'll end your life!

I am a Soldier I am marching on.

I am a warrior and this is my song!

Hell has no demon that I won't overcome!

I am a warrior and this is my song!

I'll make the Devil himself turn and run!

**I am a warrior and this is my song!**

The holoprojector shut off as Taylor finished giving his 'brief' and the assembled men and women all continued their prep work, a newly revamped energy in all of them, a fire relit into an inferno in their souls as they donned their armor.

Energy-to-matter matter conversion as a means of a mass production technology was still far off from being able to generate an entire ship without some serious drawbacks, but smaller things could be made more easily. The first thing that the upgrades had done to the _Ares_ had been the duel Neutrino Ion Generators. Then came the Nutcracker, four standard plasma beams, and twenty standard plasma cannons to supplement her kinetic energy weapons. Long range ion cannons were modified into surface-to-orbit weapons so the ship wouldn't be defenseless while on the surface. Next to be installed was what the soldiers who served on the ship were lovingly referring to as the 'Holy Grail.'

The Impolans had been interested in the weapons the people of Earth had recently obtained and had traded their personal armor and small-arms designs for the coaxial ion cannon plans. Combined with the Asgard designed energy-to-matter mater converter installed on the _Ares_ that was powered by its own, independent Neutrino Ion Generator (making a total of three on the ship), those plans had allowed the Alpha Fleet to equip their soldiers with top of the line battle gear overnight… well, as 'overnight' as two weeks of constant operation could be which was still faster than months of production, millions of dollars, and tones of trinium. The Holy Grail, the name given to the conversion-style production line, allowed them to equip all three-hundred of their ground forces with full-body trinium-alloy armor and small-arms designed to serve as railguns that fired without the kick of a regular gun. It was the greatest leap forward in personal protection since the invention of the insert that had been developed by the SGC to better stop staff blasts. Now they had honest-to-god armor.

That was one of many changes, but the most beneficial for the men and women now loading into the Pelicans.

The Pelicans themselves had undergone an upgrade with the rest of the equipment they used. Well armored and now lightly shielded, the Pelicans were a match for their larger cousins, the Goa'uld Al'kesh, but there was something greater still. The Vulture. Twice the size of a Pelican and matching an Al'kesh in size then outclassing it in both firepower and shield strength, the Vulture was awestrickenly nicknamed the 'Flying Fortress.' Ten of these behemoths had been constructed and modified to better help in this assault, and from the Command and Control Center of one of these machines of conquest, specially modified to serve as a mobile command center, Taylor would lead his forces.

The Command Chief Master Sergeant loaded into his mobile command ship. The large, specially modified gunship rumbled as its thrusters fought against gravity and provided lift. All around him, the standard Vultures were taking off as the Pelicans swarmed out of the hangar bays on both sides of the ship. As they exited the hangar behind the third wave of Pelicans, Taylor reached the Command and Control Center and looked over the holo-tank that provided him with a real-time projection of his forces. Screens all around him showed the status of the armor that was rolling out of the _Ares_' ventral bay and a dedicated system manned by both an organic crew an a VI monitored the health of the soldiers thanks to the systems in their armor. If need be, the beaming system equipped on the Vultures could evacuate entire platoons in the blink of an eye.

As the soldiers assembled in their formations and everything from tanks to mobile artillery pieces rolled out of the Invasion Carrier, Taylor nodded to himself. This would be one for the history books, and it was on him to make sure that this battle went down looking upon them all favorably. "All forces, report readiness," Taylor ordered.

*City of Memphis (Shipyards)*

"_We're not just going to shoot the bastards, we're going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads on our tanks!"_ the voice of the enemy declared, to which a cheer was his answer. _"We're going to murder those lousy Goa'uld bastards by the bushel!"_

With a press of a button, the transmission was cut. Ptah sat in the throne chair aboard his flagship and took in the sight before him. He was under attack by two great forces, both of them hated with a passion. In orbit he had the twice blasted Ba'al hammering away at his shield. On the surface he had the thrice cursed Tau'ri mounting for a full ground assault. He knew what a small number of these people could do. He had to admit, even to himself, that the thought of what the army gathering on the outskirts of his city could do frightened him.

With his eyes flashing gold from rage, Ptah ordered, **"Ready this ship for launch! If the Tau'ri breach our walls, they will run rampant through the streets of Memphis and nothing we put against them will save us."**

"Yes, My Lord," Niptahkau replied obediently.

Calming himself and returning his voice to a more normal composure, Ptah then added. "I want you to personally oversee our battle efforts. Stop them at the forward defense bunker and hold them there as long as possible. Take whatever forces you deem needed."

"Yes, My Lord," Niptahkau replied, this time with a smile on his face. Long had he wanted to give these Tau'ri a piece of his mind.

**Memphis (Orbit)**

*Ba'al Refit Ha'tak (Pel'tak)*

"_Now I live lean and I mean to inflict the grief, and the least of me is still out of your reach. The killing machine's gonna do the deed, until the river runs dry and my last breath leaves. Chin in the air with a head held high, I'll stand in the path of the enemy line. Feel no fear, know my pride. For Earth and purpose I'll end your life!"_

The declaration of victory over a battle not yet fought was enough to make his blood boil. Ba'al stood at the head of his ship as his fleet fired on the planet below, a look of rage on his face. **"Where did the Tau'ri amass such a force!?"** he demanded to know.

"My Lord, until now we have faced only a small portion of the forces the Tau'ri have available to them. It has always been believed that we were only fighting exploratory forces seeking technology and running interference ops," Eryandra replied. "O'Neill once said something along those lines to you, I believe."

"**Then this is what they have to show for their efforts?"** Ba'al asked no one in particular.

Ba'al's anger stemmed from multiple points, most of them branching off from the Tau'ri. Long ago, before the Tau'ri arrived on the galactic scene, a Goa'uld was a god. Their word was law and no one dared to question them. Now, half of the Jaffa under one's command weren't to be trusted least they betray you to the Free Jaffa Nation, itself a laughable notion. The Tok'ra were becoming more open in their moves against the System Lords as the Goa'uld weakened and they grew stronger in their alliance to the Humans of Earth. It all started with the Tau'ri, and it would all end with the Tau'ri. If only there was a way to prevent them from ever becoming the threat they now are.

"**Centuries of internal conflict and, instead of killing themselves off, their war machine evolves into this?"** Ba'al asked himself. He would admit it to no one, but Ba'al was afraid.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Naquadah Rich Planet(Surface)**

*Research Lab (Archives Room)*

The Cylons were pressing their attack and advancing quickly. The_ Colony_ had already taken up orbit over the planet and started sending down aerial support as well as the Hybrid that Caprica and Cavil had requested.

"The problem is that they use these damned crystals to interface everything, and I have no idea how to interface the Hybrid with them!" Caprica said as Cavil nagged at her to hurry up yet again.

"Then maybe we should just send a virus via broadcasted message," Cavil shot back.

"That won't work, we've already tried. Whatever subspace transmitter equipment they're using isn't like the stuff the _Odyssey_ was using. The _Odyssey_ had normal broadcasting equipment in addition to the subspace array, whereas these people only have the high-powered subspace system that we can't match the frequency for with our own subspace transmitters," Caprica argued.

"That makes as bout as much sense as the damned Hybrids do!" Cavil replied.

"You want to give it a try, Brother?" Caprica asked. When Cavil stood there refusing to respond, she added, "I didn't think so. Now let me work in peace." After returning to her work, uninterrupted, it only took a couple of minutes for Caprica to shout in triumph, "I got it!"

"What have we got?" Cavil asked as his greedy little hands danced around the computer screen trying to make sense of what he was looking at.

Standing to the side drumming her fingers on her arm, Caprica waited patiently for the man to tire of his own antics. When he finally did, she moved up and started scanning through the system. "They call their form of FTL 'hyperspace' and it requires you to build a 'hyperdrive.' Hmm…"

"What is it?" Cavil asked like a little kid at a candy store.

"If I'm reading this right, and I'm sure the Hybrid will agree that I am, there are enemy reinforcements incoming." When she saw Cavil flinch, Caprica added, "Relax, at their current speed it'll take them five days to get here. By then, we'll have enough naquadah to enhance our nukes, and since we already know how to deal with them, this should be a synch."

"Fine, but we're pulling the_ Colony_ out before they get here and we're not bringing it back until they're gone. I won't risk the closet thing we have to a have homeworld!" Cavil demanded.

"Calm down, Brother, for once we agree with no arguments. Now, let us have a look at what all we stand to gain," Caprica said as she scanned through all the stuff the alien scientists here were working on.

*Front Lines (Cylons) [a few minutes later]*

D'Anna was quickly pushing these 'Jaffa,' as Caprica was calling them, back to wherever it was that they were falling back to. Lying prone on top of a hill with a group of Centurion snipers, D'Anna looked down and saw a truly amazing sight. The enemy had fallen back to a giant ring of vertically standing water. More shocking was that, when they went through it, they didn't appear on the other side.

"Is anyone else seeing this?" D'Anna asked. Her response was an air strike. Five Raiders came in, guns blazing and missiles hot. "Don't destroy the ring, I want to study it!" D'Anna shouted through the comm. Much to her satisfaction, the Raiders' missiles struck all around the ring leaving the device itself untouched.

"_Sister, we're sending you a Heavy Raider. We want you to bring the device up to the _Colony_,"_ another Three said.

Once all the Jaffa were dead, a Heavy Raider landed nearby and a team of Centurions set about hooking the mysterious ring up to the bottom of the Raider. Once they were done, the Raider headed straight for the_ Colony_'s main Heavy Raider bay, D'Anna piloting the shuttle craft.

"Oh, Caprica is going to love this!" the other Three said. "She's been going through their computer systems, and, according to her, this is a Chappa'ai, or Gateway to the Stars if you translate it properly. She says it works by making a wormhole! Can you imagine how far this could advance our jump-drives?"

"I can imagine quite well, actually. There was another device close by that had a bunch of matching symbols. When I touched the symbols on the device, the Chappa'ai moved so I assumed they're connected and had the Centurions dig it up as well. Other than that, the planet is secure and we've restarted the naquadah mines," D'Anna replied.

"Yes, Brother Cavil wants the Centurions working around the clock. We'll need as much as we can get before the enemy's reinforcements arrive," the other Three said.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Surface)**

*City of Memphis (Forward Command Bunker)*

Niptahkau was deposited in the bunker by the rings and immediately walked into the Control Room. He was now a mile from the city he was tasked to defend, and two miles from the landing site of the enemy Mothership. He would hold the enemy here and teach these Tau'ri dogs to fear.

"What is the status of the enemy?" he asked the Ta-tanen Commander he was replacing.

With a respectful bow, the Ta-tanen Commander replied. "My Lord's enemy has begun launching air forces and mobilizing a sizable force on the ground. Their machinations are strange indeed, and do not match the MALP designs we know them to use. They are larger and obviously meant as a means for waging war. We have already detected several different types, though we know not what to make of their capabilities."

"The unknown forces the Tau'ri can bring to bear shall be the greatest threat here," Niptahkau agreed. "We will lose the first line to their unknown capabilities, of that I am sure. We must learn what we can and weaken them at the second line then stop them at the third."

"Great One, the enemy vessel has launched fighters. They are closing fast," the youngest of the Ta-tanen present reported, a hint of fear to his tone.

Long had they trained to become a force that could battle the Tau'ri, yet even Niptahkau believed they needed more time. The loses they suffered at the hands of the insulant Emissaries of Mimner had left their defenses in need of repairs and their fleet entirely destroyed. Even then, Ptah had used the attack as inspiration and had fortified his city well.

"Hold your fear, Young One," Niptahkau replied sternly. "They are the Tau'ri, blasphemers and sadists all. We are the Ta-tanen, servants of the Great God Ptah! We alone possess the weapons, training, and skills to match these pestilent Humans. Have faith in your God and you will either live to see tomorrow, or you will live forever in the Great Halls of Memphis Eternal." Thusly reinforced in their beliefs of superiority and having divinity on their side, the young Ta-tanen remustered. "Ready the AA guns," Niptahkau ordered.

In the forest that surrounds them, well-hidden hatches covered in leaves and pained to look like dirt opened. From the hole beneath each hatch a weapon emerged that was modeled after a known Tau'ri weapon. They called them 'point defenses,' but Ptah had called them something else. Plasma flak cannons.

As the fighters skimmed over the treetops at high speeds, the cannons targeted the small craft and opened fire, great globs of unstable plasma exploding in the air before their targets. The pilots of the Tau'ri fighter craft broke off of their paths mere parts of a second before the bolt exploded and climbed into the atmosphere where they would have more time to dodge before the round could hit them. Using their maneuverability and speed, the fighters avoided the blasts, but it was a dangerous dance and Lord Ptah had designed the computers of the weapons with the ability to learn. They would soon recognize the patterns to the Tau'ri's dance and adjust the targeting parameters appropriately.

Then one of the weapons exploded in a shower of sparks and a small fire was birthed in the green forest nearby. "What was that?" Niptahkau asked.

"Here, Great One," the young Ta-tanen replied as he showed an image on the display.

One of the war machines of the Tau'ri was seen as it clearly built up a great charge. The large gun rolling around on wheels being pulled by another strange vehicle fired again. The bright flash of light given off by the weapon as the plasma-encased, tungsten-alloy round flew up into the air before gravity took hold was all the warning they had before the super-heated bullet impacted another of the flak cannons and another fire was born in the lush forest. All around the forward command bunker of the first line, explosions shook the ground as the dirt was blown into the air, fires were born, and flak cannons were destroyed.

Niptahkau knew of this weapon type. Ptah had called them 'artillery pieces.' They were designed to eliminate heavily armored targets or groups of soldiers from a distance. Clearly the Tau'ri had come to win with as few casualties as they could manage. Niptahkau would have to make sure they suffered more than they were willing to. Only then would they leave without fighting on. Still, the aging Jaffa had to admit a certain level of begrudging respect for this enemy. Ptah was right to train his forces to counter this one species. This battle would prove to either see Ptah's rise to a galactic power, or would seal his fate as a minor footnote in the galactic history books. It was up to Niptahkau to determine how history would view his Lord.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Naquadah Rich Planet (Orbit)**

*_Cylon Colony_ (Consensus Room)*

"Other than the Gateway," Caprica began, using the Cylon's name for the Chappa'ai, "we've also acquired their methods for naquadah refining as well as being able to improve on what they already had, schematics for their generator designs, subspace sensors and fully functional subspace communications arrays, shield generators, cloaking devices, and even their once-feared energy weapons."

"In other words," Cavil began, "we now have what we need to advance our jump-drives, power generation methods, DRADIS range and clarity, communications' range and clarity, the ability to cloak our ships, and their plasma cannons."

"Now, I know that you're all very excited about this," D'Anna said sarcastically, "but we do have a problem. All of their stuff runs off of this 'naquadah' and this one planet isn't going to fuel our entire fleet."

"And before you ask," Caprica added, "tylium just isn't going to cut it. These new technologies require so much power that without the Naquadah Generators, we won't be able to power any of the new systems. As such, our priority for now should be mining naquadah for the fleet…"

"Obviously," Cavil snorted.

"To that end, I'm suggesting we send out more Raiders to find more planets. In the meantime, I suggest we use what we have to upgrade the_ Colony_ and the Resurrection Fleet as they are our two most vital instillations," Caprica said, ignoring Cavil's interruption.

"The new sub space communications arrays will allow us to expand the range of our Resurrection Ships and the Resurrection Hub, as well as allowing us to scan the Hub and copy its designs so we're not reliant on the Final Five to keep the Hub working. Already we have what we need to build another, superior Hub should the other ever fall. I suggest we begin construction of such a vital piece of technology immediately. The bonus to this is that we can build it using what we already have and incorporate these new technologies into the new Hub from the ground up which will make the second Hub far more powerful than upgrading the original will," D'Anna said.

"The improvements to both the Hub and the Resurrection Fleet will allow us to keep them farther back from combat without risking any True Deaths. I also suggest that the Resurrection Ships, being our weakest, be the first to receive either shields or cloaking devices, but not necessarily both as one or the other will give them the time it needs to escape destruction," Boomer added.

"We can use their generators to upgrade the_ Colony_'s energy production capabilities, and, by extension, upgrade her to sub-space communication and sensors as well which will allow the _Colony_ to double as a Resurrection Hub as well. However, given that the_ Colony_ will be put in orbit of every world we need to mine, I suggest we stick to Boomer's plan of building a second Hub regardless of this added factor. It'll mostly be for increasing the speed at which we can replenish our forces once an all-out war begins. The main problem with the_ Colony_ is her size and FTL recharge time. We need to give her either shields or cloaking technology as well because the_ Colony_ will be the enemy's main target," Caprica finished.

"I noticed that, not once, did you mention jump-drive upgrades, improvements to the Baseships, nor did you mention their plasma weapons and hyperdrives," Simon observed.

"Their plasma weapons aren't necessary when we can have the Raiders jump inside their shields. As for their hyperdrives, we'd have to reformat our navigational computers to use those, they're a drain on the naquadah reserves that we don't actually have yet, and they're slower than our jump-drives as well. As for the Baseships… I recommend giving them subspace sensors and communications arrays as both are low yield, but will improve detection range, and add the possibility of uploading our viruses into enemy ships. All other types of upgrades can come **after** we have the resources to upgrade the entire fleet to the levels I'm sure you want to jump right into. Until then, we need to focus on what we can't offered to lose," Caprica explained.

"Well then, let's put it to a vote!" Cavil said. Secretly, part of him was starting to like Caprica. She has a cold logic that the other models just plain lack.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Surface)**

*Tau'ri Advance (Frontlines)*

The arrival of the _Odyssey_ back to Earth had triggered several changes and upgrades in the fleet that defended Earth. Of those changes, none of them applied to the smaller craft that the _Ares_ carried into battle. No, the tanks that she carried in her ventral armor bay were entirely of Tau'ri design. The M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank had been the brainchild of some forward thinking designers at Area 51 long before Stargate Command had begun to incorporate alien technology into Earth's own. As such, the tank was now essentially trash. Replacing the slow moving, yet still powerful tank, was the latest and greatest in armored combat. Introducing the Grizzly Super Tank to the men and women who would operate them had been a rather humorous event for the designers in line with taking a fat kid into a candy store and saying, "You can have it all!"

The design shared many commonalities with the Abrams, which was still in service and still made up the majority of the tanks used in the American Armed Forces. She still mounted both the point-fifty caliber machine gun and both turreted and coaxial seven-point-six-two millimeter machine guns, but that's where the similarities ended. The gasoline engine had been left out of the new design and had been replaced with a far smaller, yet still more powerful, electrical motor powered by a small, specially designed Mark II Naquadah Generator. This opened room for the addition of a shield generator to boost the tank's combat durability. The armor had also been replaced with the same hull material used to make a 302 that was then modified to better cover a vehicle that didn't need to stay light enough to fly. The added weight and mass, however, did warrant the addition of another set of treads to help keep speed, balance, and stability during combat. This new set of treads was tucked up under the forward part of the tank on the inside of the main treads and held the tank steady when the beast of a main gun fired.

The main gun on the tank was also redesigned from the ground up. The single barrel had been replaced by a dual barreled turret and each gun was specially designed to combat the more advanced alien threats of two galaxies. Many thought that the extra barrel was overkill, but the egg-heads at Area 51 had made it clear that no amount of claims to overkill would persuade them to change it. Because of this, her main gun consisted of a dual barreled, twenty-five millimeter railgun modeled off of the main weapons of the 304s pre-Asgard upgrades. The bullet velocity of the cannon in atmosphere was slower than in orbit because of atmospheric drag, but still fired at mach-thirty.

The radical leap in muzzle velocity the railgun configuration gave the Grizzly more than compensated for the smaller round used by the new tank when compared to the larger round still being used by the outdated Abrams. Even with the reduced size of the main gun's round, the Grizzly still had more firepower thanks to the modified rounds she carried. Aside from the anti-armor rounds, the Grizzly also had rounds designed to shred organic targets, take down slow flying aerial hostiles like the Al'kesh, or, when you really wanted send a big 'fuck you' to the enemy, she had specially designed naquadah/potassium rounds. The high-explosive round was designed to be used as a bunker-buster and always meant that someone further up the chain of command who had the authority to authorize the use of such a weapon was pissed off.

As the Grizzlies emerged from the tree line, a truly massive barrage of plasma began raining down upon the line of armored tanks. The armored personnel carriers following in their wake came to a halt behind the tanks and started disgorging troops en mass. Soldiers from every branch of nearly every country imaginable poured out of the APCs, weapons ready, and took up position behind the cover of the tanks. With an increase in power being consumed by their Mark II Naquadah Generators, the shields over the tanks expanded to provide cover for the soldiers putting boots to the ground.

Now with more suitable cover to work under, the CCTs, the United States Air Force's Combat Control Technicians, rushed forward with large crates on anti-gravity trolleys and began setting up mobile cover. Even as the tanks fired their thunderous rounds, the CCTs pressed buttons on their tac-pads, a small computer built into their armor that had an amazing computational capacity and housed their onboard VIs. The crates they had carried out with them unfolded, trinium-alloy armor plating creating instant cover that the soldiers than ran forward to get behind.

Now with proper cover established, the tanks' shields collapsed back to their preset size and the soldiers began returning fire. For reasons yet to be figured out, the shield on the tank, when expanded, had the annoying tendency to stop friendly fire from exiting the barrier. It was something to be worked on later. For now, they were facing off against thousands of Jaffa trained by Ptah to specifically better combat the warriors of Earth. This fight would not be easy.

Hitting his radio, Commander Carter said, "Kat, I need that thing gone!" while marking the indicated heavy weapons emplacement with lasers in his helmet that tracked his eye movement and indicated what he was looking at to everyone sharing his battle-net.

Kat hit her own radio and immediately relayed the request. "Noble Two to Gunner Three."

"_Gunner Three reads you five-by-five,"_ the requested tank gunner replied.

"Enemy heavy weapons emplacements are giving us hell. Requesting assistance."

"_Confirmed. Name your target."_

"Target: enemy bunker. Bearing: zero-three-one. Elevation: zero-two-three. Distance: one-thousand, twenty-eight meters."

"_Round loaded,"_ the gunner replied as the turret of the tank a few meters back from the forward line of soldiers swiveled into position.

"Zone clear of friendlies. Fire when ready," Kat ordered.

The air around the main gun of the Grizzly shimmered for a moment as the massively powerful magnetic field created by the gun created enough of a disturbance to manifest into the visible spectrum. With a thundering boom the small projectile was sent hurtling towards its target. Crossing the distance in the area of one-tenth of a second, leaving a trail of red hot vapor in its wake from air friction, the projectile impacted the target area and the entire side of the hill was blown apart by the force of impact. What wasn't a direct result of the round's impact was the side-effect of the loosely packed dirt losing its structural integrity and collapsing under its own weight.

"Target destroyed," Kat confirmed for the gunner before she started feeding the German, for the accent **had** to be German, the next set of coordinates. Usually the dedicated sensors aboard the tank would handle this type of work, but those systems weren't installed on all of the tanks yet. The Alpha Fleet was rushed into deployment and they all knew it. The _Ares_ was supposed to carry a thousand troops, not three-hundred. Nevertheless, they would do their best and their best would have to be good enough.

"_All ground forces, hold position,"_ CCMSgt Taylor ordered and the advance came to a stop as the Vultures, slowing moving birds they are, appeared above them. The vibrations in the air their engines caused as they fought gravity was a constant thrumming that tickled any exposed skin. _"Artillery line, begin bombardment of enemy position. Pelicans, move to a position one kilometer behind the enemy and drop your troops. Vultures are to follow to provide support. Cutoff any option of enemy retreat. If they live through this battle, they'll just regroup at the next line of bunkers."_

This was the first of several engagements that would define the battle, and this one was firmly a Tau'ri victory. The Pelicans flew past them, loaded with the reserve troops, and started landing soldiers behind enemy lines. As they did, the Vultures flew overhead. The dual, tri-barreled plasma-gatling cannons mounted at the front of her ventral surface opened up with a hailstorm of fire, the light of the weapons fire causing their visors to polarize automatically. On her back, air-to-surface missile hatches opened and a barrage of high explosives rained down on the assembled Ta-tanen forces.

As the slow moving behemoths crossed the distance, the artillery cannons hanging back a kilometer from the frontlines opened fire with their own weapons. The massive, high explosive shells smashed the Jaffa forces to pieces. As the Pelicans finished dropping off their troops, the gunships took to the air and added their own ground assault missiles and nose-mounted plasma-gatling cannon to the fight. The first battle between the Tau'ri and the Ta-tanen was a one-sided slaughter. This was a force of a thousand Ta-tanen hastily positioned with half-dug foxholes to buy the bunkers behind them the time needed to properly prepare. The Tau'ri made short work of their hastily composed defenses and moved past that first force on their way to the first true battle.

There were three defensive positions standing between the Tau'ri advance and the city of Memphis. The first was only a few hundred meters past the point where the Pelicans had dropped troops to prevent the enemy's retreat. Once they were done mopping up this pittance of a force, the real work would begin.

The battle for Memphis had begun.


	31. The Storm Part 3: In Harm's Way

The "Sections" parallel any section with the same marking. So all three parts marked [Section C] happen at the same time.

Chapter 30

The Storm Part 3

_In Harm's Way_

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Mars (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge) [Section A]*

The battle had lasted only a matter of seconds and already the Earth Fleet was losing ground. In an attempt to keep their shields unstrained until needed, the fleet was slowly falling back from near Mars to orbit of Earth while trying to engage the Ori using the superior range of their coaxial ion cannons. However, their original tactic of targeting one ship at a time was proving useless as every time the _Cursor_ dropped one of the Ori Mothership's shields, it fell back behind the cover of another before the two smaller ships could fire a death blow.

"I hate to break it to you, Admiral, but your tactic isn't working. With the upgrades we've received, I'm suggesting that we take this to the next level. I've seen the _Odyssey_ handle two of these ships on her own, and I'm betting the _Cursor_ can take on three. Given that the _Devastator_ doesn't have a ZPM and the Ori have proven themselves capable of hurting her, I suggest she hangs back and keeps them off the _Nex_. That gets seven of their ships out of the way and in a one-on-one battle that they won't be able to hide from," Davidson suggested over the fleet's battle-net.

"_That leaves nine Motherships bearing down on the _Nex_ with our weakest ship as its last line of defense!"_ Colson argued.

"_I'm not all that comfortable with breaking up the fleet either, Colson, but I do see Davidson's point. Keep the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ together though, I don't want either of you getting caught with your pants down. Alright people, let's move,"_ the Admiral ordered. The man had been named the Executive Officer of the Earth Fleet for the duration of this battle because of his skills at commanding a large naval force, and, while a space fleet is fundamentally different, he was still the best they had on such a short notice after Sieon who was too busy with the fighters to micromanage the other ships.

The _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ wasted no time in entering the fray. Once their plasma cannons were fully charged, they shot forward towards the edge of the Ori formation using the full power of their sub-light engines to gain a speed advantage and immediately engaged the larger ships.

The _Odyssey_, despite no longer being the only ship in the system with a ZPM, still had one major advantage that no one else did. Knowing how useful this could be, Colonel Davidson ordered, "Abe, keep the _Apollo_ on course and give your shields everything you can. Get their attention and lead them off. We'll be waiting."

*_USS Apollo _(Bridge)*

"Copy that, Ian, we'll bring the pain," Ellis replied.

True to his word, Ellis brought the _Apollo_ into the Ori formation at a high speed. With Sara at the helm, everyone onboard was confident that they wouldn't crash into anything despite the fact that they were moving at seventy-five-thousand kilometers per second which was roughly forty percent of the speed of light.

Dell fired off a volley of shots to get the Ori's attention. Three of the attacking ships broke off their advance towards the _Cursor_ and gave chase to the small Earth ship, but they were looking for a bigger pot. More beams lanced out until five of the Motherships gave chase of the _Apollo_. Behind the _Apollo_, the Motherships opened fire with their beams. Five against one was impossible odds in Ellis' opinion, but he trusted his friend.

That trust paid off.

Beams of blue light lanced out from the dead regions of space and cut into the Ori chasing the _Apollo_. A barrage of weapons fire collapsed the shields of one ship before a coaxial ion round hit something critical once the armor was the only thing between the ship and its death. Then a new ship was targeted and the process began again. Beams came from darkness, no visible source, and Davidson's plan made sense. The _Odyssey_ was cloaked and zipping around untargeted.

'_Leave is to a half-ascended Daniel Jackson to invent the only cloaking device seen to date that can remain active while a ship is engaged in combat,'_ Ellis thought to himself as Sara brought the _Apollo_ around and Dell opened fire with their plasma beams and coaxial ion cannon. The standard ion and plasma cannons wouldn't be of much use against the shields of the Ori, so their power was channeled into the shield.

"_I'm marking the _Odyssey_'s projected path. Be sure to avoid them,"_ Apollo informed them, his avatar 'standing' in the back with the other technicians monitoring their power levels. On the forward viewport, the HUD engaged to show an outline of the fast moving and still invisible _Odyssey_ as Marks took the ship in for another strike.

If the AIs weren't linked through whatever quantum communication contraption that had been, ever so briefly, explained to Abe, he would've been uncomfortable with having the AIs talking to each other while the _Odyssey_ was cloaked. Sam had informed them that the _Odyssey_, unlike _Atlantis_, kept her shields when she cloaked, but that she still didn't know how to duplicate the feat. Even with all their recent advances and Asgard-given technology, the _Ares_, the only ship to have received a cloak during the refits, sacrificed her shield when the cloak was engaged.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

Pulling the ship into a tight loop, Marks lined up a shoot and Donnelly fired on the ship bringing up the rear of the Ori formation as they continued their loop. Four plasma beams lanced forward and stuck home before the _Odyssey_ shot pass the Ori Mothership and maneuvered around for another pass. An explosion filled the darkness of space as the lead Ori Mothership took a full volley from the _Apollo_. Six plasma beams struck the front of the ship followed by three super ion cannon rounds. As the shield drastically destabilized from the beams, the ion rounds managed to punch through and strike the main weapons emitter at the nose of the larger ship. As the main weapons' delicate systems were hit by the direct blow, the Mothership was quickly consumed in secondary explosions.

The _Odyssey_ came out of her turn and fired her plasma beams again. Two more shots brought down her target's shields and her other weapons came into play. Since they didn't need to bolster their shields while cloaked, Davidson had ordered Donnelly to use whatever he wanted. As such, once the shield was down, a triplet of super-heated plasma cannon rounds were fired at the far larger ship. The first round exploded against the thick armor of the Ori Mothership, but opened the way for the second. Cutting deep into the heart of the impractically shaped ship, the second plasma cannon round carved a path. Following that path, the third plasma round detonated against the armor that protected the ship's Bridge and the nerve center was explosively decompressed into space.

The _Odyssey_ came around for another pass on the last two targets, the _Apollo_ firing everything she had into the closest ship to her, and Marks flinched. Both Motherships fired on the _Apollo_ at the same time, both beams hitting the shield in tandem. He had been there when the _Korolev_ met its end to a blow just like that one. He feared the worse, but it didn't come to pass. The _Apollo_ was shaken, that much was clear, but they were far from being out of the fight.

"You alright over there, Abe?" Davidson asked as the _Apollo_ stopped firing its beam weapons.

"_We've suffered a few overloads,"_ Ellis replied over the sounds of a fire being put out. _"Our beam weapons are offline… again,"_ Ellis added as his thoughts went back to the Replicators and McKay's modifications to their weapons systems. _"But we're not out of this yet!"_

Just to prove his point, the _Apollo_ fired another round from her coaxial ion cannon and popped the shield bubble around another Mothership. Diving into that oh so very stupid gap in the ship between the engines and the reactor, Marks took the _Odyssey_ down through their defenses, unseen, and Donnelly, much to Marks' surprise, fired off a barrage of missiles. The first three hit the ring around the reactor as they dove down, but, as Marks pulled them up to fly 'under' the Mothership, the last two missiles hit the glowing ball of light. In a burst of energy, the Mothership was consumed by its own power, and the _Odyssey_ continued on without a second thought. The last ship was, for a lack of a better term, gang-raped by the two 304s. The _Apollo_ fired on its bow while the _Odyssey_ hammered its stern. The ship died in a rather undignified and quiet humorous manner. The crews of the two ships, however, had neither the time nor the mindset to laugh about it, not with the Ori closing in on Earth.

The brilliant display of golden light still being pumped out by the _Nex_ was a constant reminder that the Ori were getting closer and closer to breaching their lines and making orbit, and if that happened… the homeworld of Humanity would face trials by fire the likes of which could destroy a great many number of lives.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Atmosphere)**

*Command Vulture (Command and Control Center) [Section A]*

Command Chief Master Sergeant Brandon Taylor watched the battle from his vantage point in the skies. The advanced sensors on the specially modified Vulture displayed the battle in real-time, but keeping up with that much information was a daunting task. He had spent years as a soldier on the ground and learned the hard way that Intel was everything. After losing one too many of his fellow soldiers to the machinations of a broken system, he had vowed to do his part in fixing the Intel gathering and distribution structure. He worked his way up the ranks until his name was replaced with a title given to him by those who credited his style of Intel gathering, sorting, and handling as god-like. 'The Eagle' they called him. A name given to emphasize a high-flying, far-seeing force of good. Most assumed it came from his days as a PJ. They were wrong. He was 'famous' for his work in Intel.

A team of dedicated VIs specially programed to filter incoming information faster than the Human mind could ever hope to highlighted areas that were under more stress, tagged targets of interest, and controlled the Predator drones that filled the skies higher even than his command ship. Equipped with a stealth drive that was, as it was explained to him, an advanced jammer and **not** a cloak, electronic warfare suit, and advanced Asgard sensors, the drones could map out a planet's defenses in a staggeringly short amount of time. It made assaulting a planet like Memphis, a world that they decided to attack only a few days ago, far easier despite the time crunch. Instead of weeks of gathering Intel, it could all be gathered and assimilated on site within hours of landing. All he had to do was think fast enough for the Intel to be of use. The battlefield was constantly changing. Too much information too fast would mean that opportunities would slip him by, but that's why no one ever worked alone.

When Taylor had been reassigned to the Alpha Fleet, he had brought his entire subdivision of the Office of Airborne Intelligence with him. His team, built up over his years in Intel and composed of the best people he could find, sat around a larger version of the holo-tank he overlooked back aboard the _Ares_ and fed him ideas, notes, information, and comments. His war council followed wherever he went, his 'dream team' never leaving his side. Intel was everything in a battle. Even a rookie soldier fresh out of Basic can win a war if he has the proper Intel, and the battle-net that connected the armor worn by the soldiers made delivering that Intel so much faster and effective.

Below his command ship, the chaos was hardly able to be called controlled. The peoples of Earth had long fought against themselves in wars, and it was rare that a military outside of Earth's own could stand against them. In Pegasus, even the Genii were easily outmaneuvered, outflanked, or simply outclassed. Jaffa had rarely stood against an SG team with success in equal numbers. It took small armies of Jaffa to capture the Human soldiers alive, and now the Humans had deployed a small army of their own. Even that crushing might was being ground to halt by these Ta-tanen. Clearly Ptah wasn't playing around with the idea of conquering Earth. Ba'al was constantly saying he could beat the Tau'ri. Everyone knew he was just blowing hot air and didn't have the nerve, but Ptah? Ptah was a real threat to the people of Earth, and this battle showed that.

To make matters worse, they had shown their hand. If Ptah escaped and went on to live in the shadows once more, if he fled, bought his time, and rebuilt his forces, he would undoubtedly incorporate what he learned of their war machines from this battle into his next great army and Earth would be his first target. They were committed now, and retreat was no longer an option. If they left Ptah uncaptured or alive, he would only grow stronger.

But Ptah's forces still had a long way to go in one major field. The field that mattered the most. They still didn't have an effective means of gathering, cataloging, classifying, and disseminating Intel.

"Flight Ten to grid Nine-A. Redeploy troops to enemy rear lines. Fighters to provide cover fire. Vulture Three to follow," Taylor ordered into the microphone he was wearing. The VI within the battle-net would send his words to those who needed to hear them so as to not have people stopping to hear orders that had nothing to do with their theater of operation. "Vulture Nine to grid Seven-C. Take out that bunker. Pelicans to position seventeen, grid Seven-E. Armor to position nine, grid Ten-F. Artillery to focus fire on grid Two-D. Bring the rain."

More orders were given from both the CCMSgt and his team of Intel officers back on the _Ares_, the two having worked together for so long they were practically reading each other's minds. Troops were moved like pieces on a chess board, tanks rolled across enemy resistance, artillery pounded hot spots from a distance, and aerial support was given wherever it was needed. With only a few orders and three minutes for the plan to be implemented, the Ta-tanen forces were surrounded. Artillery was pounding every potential problem spot, focusing on the bunkers especially. Tau'ri armor was ripping into the Ta-tanen with tungsten-flechette and high explosive rounds from beyond the effective range of the enemy foot soldiers. Infantry was picking the Ta-tanen off with sniper rifles and assault rifles while gunships and fighters dropped bombs on any enemy sniper nest found in the forest they were marching through. Pelicans and Vultures were raining down plasma rounds by the hundreds if not thousands and ground assault missiles by the dozens, leveling miles of forest and leaving miles more to burn.

Just to assure their enemy didn't regroup later, Pelicans moved behind enemy lines with more troops loaded in their backs and tanks attached to the special, magnetic clamps dangling from the rear. Armor was moved by air at the speed of a jet carrier and the maneuverability of a helicopter, troops were redeployed where needed, and, before the Ta-tanen could even consider retreat, it was removed as an option. The infantry and armor dropped off behind the enemy lines began pushing in while the forward line advanced. The Ta-tanen were trapped between two lines of advancing infantry, armor, and aerial assault craft.

With 302 Space Superiority Fighters keeping any Al'kesh and Death Gliders from launching by destroying their 'airstrips,' the Tau'ri assured their aerial superiority and Taylor knew from first-hand experience that controlling the air space was crucial in any battle. If they were operating in a one-mile radius from any spot, a three mile-radius of airspace was being secured by the hundred-plus 302s the _Ares_ carried in her massive 302 bay.

The _Ares_, unlike her cousins, had been designed so that each deck had a sole purpose. The Command Deck oversaw space operations. The Flight Deck did everything from housing the 302s to housing their fuel, repair supplies, and pilots. The Combat Deck did the same for the infantry, their armor, small-arms, tanks, dropships, and gunships. Then there was the Intel Deck which housed all the specialized systems needed to operate and secure the battle-net, the computers for the networked VIs that monitored their systems, and control the Predator drones' remote flight and weapons systems.

The radio in his ear crackled to life as a voice spoke to him. _"Sir, the enemy line is breaking,"_ his Executive Officer reported.

"So I noticed," Taylor replied distantly. Noting another area in need of more manpower, he issued more orders and the artillery shifted their fire to the new zone. "Don't get cocky on me now, Lieutenant. This battle is far from over. There's still another two lines of bunkers after this one and the city after that."

"_Understood, sir,"_ the young Lieutenant who served as his XO answered. From her tone, Taylor knew the woman had saluted him. He smiled at that. She was professional. That's why he like her.

"Ashley?" Taylor asked.

"_Sir?"_ the woman replied.

"What's the status of the planetary defense shield?"

"_Ba'al's forces have depleted the barrier to an estimated fifty percent."_

"And what's their target?"

"_More specific than the planet?"_ Ashely asked.

"More specific than the planet," Taylor said with a nod she couldn't see.

*_USS Ares_ (Intel Deck)*

There was a moment of silent review of gathered information before the woman replied. "The bulk of their fire is focused on the area of the shield directly above the _Ares_, sir."

"_Then Ba'al has realized the threat we pose,"_ Taylor said matter-of-factly. The line crackled before a new voice joined the original two. _"General, I advise you to take action before Ba'al breaches the shield barrier. If Ba'al starts landing troops in the middle of our invasion, this is going to go from hard to impossible."_

"_We're warming up the surface-to-orbit ion cannons now,"_ General Ervin replied. _"How goes the fighting on your end?"_

"_I'll leave it to Miss Plu to fill you in. My focus is needed elsewhere,"_ Taylor replied. Ervin dismissed him and the channel went dead. Replacing it was a simple point-to-point comms channel for communicating between two areas of the _Ares_.

"Right now our forces are steadily overcoming the Ta-tanen defenses at the first of three major defensive lines between us and the city. We'll have total victory over this first hurtle within the hour…" Ashley began before the floorboards under her feet shook violently.

On the top of the Invasion Carrier, four massive barrels extended from the hatches that protected them from the heat of atmospheric reentry. The barrels that were thirty meters long reached into the sky, their tips glowing as power built up within their capacitors. When the four, massive ion cannons modified to be surface-to-orbit weapons fired, the ship shook under their power. They would have to put the _Ares_ back under the knife, so to speak, and modify the weapons to include a built-in recoil dampener and inertial dampening system. As it was, until such a task could be completed, they would have to deal with the floor shaking beneath them. It was a minor thing to adjust to when one considered it was giving the ships in orbit hell.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Empty Space (Between Earth and Mars)**

*_Clausus Cursor_ (CIC) [Section B]*

Admiral Ricks was a veteran of the United States Naval Fleet. When the guys in black suits came to tell him that they needed an experienced commander to take control of Earth's new flagship, he was baffled at the fact they meant a spaceship, let alone an **alien **spaceship. The crash course he had received on the SGC and all related material didn't really make a lot of sense, though the months of specialized training he had received beforehand were starting to make sense. Thank god his daughter, Isis Ricks who served on the _Odyssey_ as a technician, was there to explain things in a way he'd understand.

'_I still can't believe my daughter's been in on this for seven years!'_ the Admiral thought to himself.

"We've got four Ori Motherships approaching off our port side. They'll be in firing range in two seconds," Major Hector reported. "Another two approaching off the starboard side. They'll be in firing range in ten seconds."

"Fire when ready, Major. No need to wait for my order, you know what to do," the Admiral replied.

Sam's upgrades to the _Cursor_ included sixteen plasma beam cannons, modifications to the power grid, new armor, and two of those spinal mounted, tri barreled, coaxial ion cannons. All of this in addition to the ion cannons and plasma cannons already installed on the ship meant the _Cursor_ now packed an even bigger punch than what the Asgard had made it capable of giving. Add the ZPM to her power grid and the _Cursor_ was a God amongst mortal men. Too bad the Ori were close to having the classification as well.

"Opening fire," Hector said as the coaxial ion cannons lined up with the nearest ship.

A full barrage from both of their coaxial ion cannon firing in tandem was enough to make the massive ship rumble slightly. Since the _Cursor_ is longer, the guns running her length are as well, and, as a result, are stronger due to having more time in the acceleration chambers, thus giving the ship an even more powerful sting with the same weapon the 304s have. With the safeties removed, the cannon that was supposed to fire with one barrel, cool down with another, and load with the third, was able to fire all three barrels at the same time. Therefore, when the _Cursor_ fired, six, high velocity ion rounds slammed into the Ori's shields almost instantly, the force of the impacts violently forcing the ship off course.

The initial attack was followed up by the normal ion cannons firing at the now disoriented ship. As the distance closed between the two opposing forces, the plasma cannons flared to life and filled the distance between the two ships with giant bolts of blue plasma.

A message chimed and Hector reported, "Coaxial ion cannons are ready to fire."

"Lieutenant, line up a shot with the lead ship. Major, fire one cannon then target their middle ship and fire again," Ricks ordered.

Lieutenant Oscar, the helmsman, worked his controls and lined up the shot. Another rumbling boom echoed through the ship as the ion cannon recoiled from the shot, rotated, and fired again, the gun now returning to its standard operating sequence as the safeties had been restored. The last shot took out the lead ship's shield and left it exposed to the plasma cannons. Piece by piece the ship was blown apart as it attempted, and failed, to pull back behind friendly lines.

Once the lead ship was destroyed, it opened a line of fire on the next ship. Already weakened by a brutal barrage from the normal ion cannons, the next ship to be targeted by the Human-crewed Asgard vessel was powerless to stop its own destruction as the first two coaxial ion cannon rounds brought down their shields and the third blew straight through the Ori Mothership, coming out of the back of the ship and gutting the main hull section as it did. Secondary explosions finished off the ship while the _Cursor_ moved to engage the next enemy vessel.

Sparks never flew from an Asgard's computers as, apparently, the little grey men had adequately solved that problem. Nevertheless, the _Cursor_ was surrounded, outnumbered, and taking a beating. "Shields are down to fifty-eight percent. I recommend we pull out soon," Oscar reported as they received more and more fire from the Ori Fleet.

"Alright, Lieutenant, bring us in as close as you can. Major, I want a full salvo of the new plasma beams fired into their broadside, followed by a full spray of close range ion and plasma cannon rounds. Once that's finished, fallback to the _Nex_'s position and keep that ship covered!" Ricks ordered.

"Aye, sir," the Lieutenant replied as he lined up the _Cursor_ with two of the Motherships. Squeezing her bulk between them, the helmsman gave the tactical officer the perfect shot.

The use of the long range weapons on a ship that was so close that the two vessels' shields were inches away from touching each other was brutal on both ships. The plasma beams tore through the Ori's shields, barely leaving them active but casing waves of energy to pass back into the _Cursor_'s own shield grid. As the ion cannons fired a full salvo, the enemy's shields collapsed and the plasma cannons tore the ships apart as the armor failed to hold back the intensive heat of the plasma cannons. Debris from the dying vessels slammed into the _Cursor_'s shield, causing the powerful barrier to flare bright white.

Four down, two to go. "Shields are down to thirteen percent," the Lieutenant informed them in a worried tone.

"Hostiles are splitting apart," tactical added as the last two Motherships that stood before them broke up their formation to keep the _Cursor_ from duplicating its tactic of simply flying between them and destroying two ships in one pass.

"They want a fight for survival, they'll get one," the Admiral said with a fierce determination. "Bring us around and focus on one ship at a time. We'll show them the error of thinking that Earth is weak."

"Aye, sir," Oscar replied with a similar tone to his own words.

As the _Cursor_ lined up her nose with her target, Hector opened fire with everything all at once. Sixteen plasma beams was far in the way of overkill and the shields of the Mothership in her crosshairs failed before the hull was scorched by the energy that didn't go into disabling their defenses. The standard ion and plasma cannons added to it was even more overkill. The coaxial ion cannons firing was just plain sadistic. The Mothership didn't stand a chance against that much firepower, but it did return fire. The _Cursor_, already weakened from her battles, took two more beams to her shields before the barrier gave out. The third beam struck her hull, opening compartments to space, digging a gouge through the armor, and half of the ship went dark as a result.

"Damage report!" Admiral Ricks ordered as the lights flickered in the CIC.

"That last shot severed several of the primary power conduits. Two of the Neutrino Ion Generators are offline and the ZPM has been cut out of the power grid. The generators are still intact, no reactor breaches, but the lines feeding their power to the ship have been cut," one of the technicians in the back explained. "It's like leaky pipes, sir. There's not enough pressure to get water to taps at the end of the line. If those taps are the shield buffers, then you should understand."

"The beam also cut through the barrel of the starboard coaxial ion cannon and only the standard plasma cannons can be operated right now. We've got no beams, no ion cannons, and not enough power left in the two generators that are working to power the other coaxial cannon because of the 'leaky pipes.' The ship's power grid is in disarray. It'll take us awhile to get the systems back online," the tactical officer added as he frantically tried to redirect power to where it was needed most using the other conduits that weren't cut.

"Do we have 'awhile'?" the Admiral asked.

"Sir, the last of the Ori Motherships engaging us has broken off their assault and is headed for Earth. The _Apollo_ is inbound to provide covering fire for us while the _Odyssey_ moves to intercept the Ori. The _Apollo_ took some damage of their own that needs to be repaired before they can engage the enemy so the battle's down to the _Odyssey_, the _Devastator_, and the _Nex_," the helmsman replied.

As the _Cursor_ turned back towards Earth, her momentum the only thing carrying her through space while the repair teams scrambled to get the ship working again, everyone watched as the _Devastator_ took on three Ori Motherships and another three bypassed the ship to attack the _Nex_. Her weapons fired as fast and often as they could, but two things were clear. One, the ship was losing its shields faster than it was defeating its enemy. Two, even a 302 wasn't fast enough to get between the Ori and their target. The _Devastator_ was doomed.

A barrage of lesser weapons fire finally cracked her weakened shields and a beam impacted her nose. It was like watching the destruction of the _Prometheus_ all over again. The beam hit at an angle that had it traveling through the ship for a few meters, the internal armor dissipating the energy enough that it didn't break out of the other side, but that wasn't going to save them. Secondary explosions caused more damage as parts of the outer hull were blown away from the main structure by the force of the internal explosions. Finally, as something critical was hit, the ship succumbed to the damage it had taken and exploded.

As a last testament to the Goa'uld who had built her, the Humans who had crewed her, and the Asgard technology that made her lethal, the _Devastator_ fired off one last barrage from its beam cannons and took out a Mothership's shields. The last round from her ion cannons to be fired even managed to hit that same Mothership square in the reactor core. With her last breath, the _Devastator_ took another enemy ship with her.

No longer impeded by the capital ships of the Tau'ri, the Ori advanced into Earth orbit where the _Nex_ had fallen back to continue engaging the fighters. As the fighters swarmed over her and her guns worked tirelessly to destroy such a numerous enemy, the ship had been forced back in an effort to keep the fighters from getting past her. So far the tactic had worked, but now the remaining five Ori Motherships were closing in on the _Nex_ and what was left working of Earth's fleet was still three minutes out from intercepting them. Beams of energy flew into the fighter swarm, entire flight wings being wiped out as the Ori fired on their own people. Cutting a path through the fighters, the Ori beams struck the unimaginably old warship in force.

As the Earth Fleet closed in on the Ori's rear flank, they could only watch in desperation and fear as the last Furling warship in existence lost her shields. A beam dug a trench into her thick armor, knocking out several of her plasma flak cannons and allowing the fighters to get past. As three more beams approached the ship, the _Nex_ disappeared in a flash of light and a burst of energy that had them all thinking the ship was gone. The reaming fighters not destroyed by the ship that had been claimed defending a world not their own slammed into the PDS without the Super Dreadnought there to intercept them, the barrier rippling even as several fighter wings made it through to the planet below.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Surface)**

*Command Bunker (Control Room) [Section B]*

Niptahkau, from his place amongst the largest and most secure of the bunkers in the third line of defenses, could only watch on in horror as the first line of bunkers and manned heavy weapons fell to the Tau'ri war machine. He knew that this enemy in particular would be difficult to master, but he expected the lines to hold longer than the first had. If this is what was to be expected, then they would need reinforcements to keep the Tau'ri from reaching the city.

Ptah had given him total control of the forces his Lord commanded, and if more troops were needed, then they would be deployed as Niptahkau ordered. Opening a channel back to the city, Niptahkau ordered the Elite Guard to report to his position. Unknown to Niptahkau, the moment this line of communication was open, a computer virus latched onto the 'secure' line and began to spread through his systems.

*Tau'ri Advance (Noble Team)*

"_All units be advised. Niptahkau has called the Elite Guard onto the battlefield. Watch your motion sensors and focus fire. These guys are reported to have Sodan cloaking devices and personal shields. Be on guard,"_ Ashley reported over the battle-net.

"This situation just got worse," Kat mumbled to herself as she stuck to cover and tried to push forward.

The standard Jaffa tactic of 'shoot anything that moves and have everyone join you' appeared to still be used by the Ta-tanen. Their weapons just fired faster and filled the air with that much more plasma as a result. The bunker that Noble Team was advancing on with another three Special Forces teams was not showing any signs of letting up even with Jorge spraying the area with auto-cannon fire. After the first line fell, they had started to think this battle might not be as hard as they thought, but the second line was clearly better defended if only because they had more time to set up their defenses. Foxholes had been dug out to provide extra cover for the enemy, and, to make matters that much harder, the AA guns in this area were still operational if only because Noble Team was furthest from where the fighters were destroying them with precision strikes and if the artillery units diverted fire to handle the threat, they would lose a lot of good people when the Ta-tanen took advantage of the lack of pressure.

They were fighting a raging forest fire with a tidal wave. Two unstoppable forces of nature colliding in a clash for the ages. The planet of Memphis would forever be scared by this battle, that much was made clear when General Ervin authorized the use of cluster bombs and napalm. He wasn't taking any risks with their lives, and no one minded the extra help. Sure it went against the rules of several treaties on Earth, but this was Memphis and the Ta-tanen were harder to kill and keep dead than a swarm of cockroaches.

And, of course, Niptahkau was taking advantage of his temporary air superiority.

Kat looked up at the sound of engines approaching and her eyes went wide. An Al'kesh flew in, low and slow, a clear sign that it was getting ready to drop its bombs. Even with Jorge's auto-cannon, they didn't have the firepower to take out an Al'kesh! This would be the end of Noble Team.

Reacting faster than she could think, Kat grabbed Jun and tossed the oblivious sniper as far as she could with the strength-enhancing servomotors in her armor. Already Carter and the others were running for the hills, but there was still one left. Kat ran as fast as her legs would carry her and slid through the mud of the swamplands. She arrived next to the man who had tripped over a branch coated in a layer of mud and pulled the man to his feet. Then they ran, but they were too slow. This time it was Kat who was thrown out of the way as the man she had saved threw his weight into her back. As Kat flew through the air, the first bomb fell.

The man behind her was consumed in fire and the shockwave threw Kat away from the blast with enough force to make her impact hurt. A lot! She didn't have time to scream in pain. The Al'kesh was still closing in, but her body wasn't responding to her commands like it was supposed to. She just looked up at the herald of her death and time stopped. Her arm stopped hurting, the ship stopped moving… the only thing that wasn't moving painfully slow was her heart which was beating like a symphony of drummers.

There was a missile inbound, moving in her peripheral vision. It arched over the trees and slammed into the top of the Al'kesh, the flash of light, heat, and shrapnel of the shaped charge forcing the Al'kesh's starboard side down and her port side up. The next bomb the ship released went wide and impacted somewhere in the forest. Another fire sprang into existence at the impact site as a Vulture rose out of the foliage, the hatches on its dorsal structure opening to allow its ground assault missiles to be brought to bear.

Every AA gun in a mile radius around them targeted the rising gunship and opened fire. The shield that covered the Flying Fortress shrugged off the blasts that consumed it entirely as the plasma cannons mounted on her frontend opened fire. Globs of blue plasma, hotter and more powerful than the plasma the Goa'uld used, slammed into and quickly depleted the minor shielding the bomber possessed. Ignoring the ground forces, the Al'kesh readied its ship-to-ship weapons.

Kat felt her body sliding as time returned to normal and her voice finally returned as she screamed in pain. Behind her, Carter pulled her along by the handle built into the collar of all the armors they all wore. It made dragging an injured comrade out of the battlefield easier, especially since the armor they wore was anything but light.

The Al'kesh above them opened fire on the Vulture even as the AA guns continued to fill the skies with their lethal explosions, but the Vulture didn't care. Why should it? It had a shield that could match a Pre-Apophis-Refit Ha'tak. An Al'kesh was hardly a worthy adversary for such a powerhouse. The two-dozen-plus AA guns backing it, however, were sure to even the playing field.

The Vulture roared forward and fired off a barrage of plasma rounds into the Al'kesh that was returning fire in less quantity and with less quality. There was a lot to be said for a tri-barreled design that fired faster than the crap the Goa'uld used. It gave the Tau'ri another in a long list of advantages. The Al'kesh succumbed to the Vulture as the Flying Fortress flew under the midrange bomber. The explosion of the Al'kesh's drive core that probably would've killed the ground teams bellow was largely absorbed by the Vulture's shield overhead as the gunship fired off a barrage of missiles that collapsed the bunker's hastily constructed support structure. As the hill caved-in on the Ta-tanen within, the Vulture, shields now drastically depleted and on the verge of collapse, lowered itself down onto the spot that had once been an enemy bunker and dropped below the range of the sensors that the AA guns used to target her.

Carter was saying something into the battle-net, his voice filling Kat's ears as their helmets linked them together. In a flash of light, Kat's participation in the battle was terminated as she was beamed back to the _Ares_ for emergency medical attention.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center) [Section B]*

General Landry had approved the mission to capture an Ori Mothership, and, as a result, those members of SG-1 not stationed planet-side, which is to say Teal'c, Valla, and Daniel, along with SGs 2 and SG-3, were assigned to the _Nex_ for the duration of the battle, or until their mission was completed… or until the alien commander decided to throw them off of his ship.

When the FTL drive had been taken out, Widget started issuing orders. The repair drones were sent to the outer hull to seal the breach and get the main conduits fixed while the technicians sent up by General O'Neill rushed through the ship to conduct whatever repairs the AI ordered them to make. Thusly, with Widget's guidance, the brains onboard managed to get the FTL drive back up and running in record time.

Running back to the CIC, the group arrived just in time for Sieon to shout, "These fighters are giving me hell!" in outrage as the Ori fighters just kept coming. "It doesn't matter how many I shoot down, there's always more to replace it!"

"_This is bad, this is really, really bad,"_ Widget said, panic clear in his synthesized voice.

"What now?" Sieon asked in frustration.

"_They split the fleet. We've got five Ori Motherships heading straight for us and the _Devastator_ is the only ship between them and us!"_ the AI replied.

"We have to destroy those fighters before they get past the barrier. We hold our position," Sieon said in a determined voice.

The gathered Humans just stood there, watching as the enemy fleet drew closer and closer. Widget projected a red bubble around the Ori Motherships to show when the _Nex_ would be in their firing range. The thought was solid, show how much time you have left, but the countdown was eating away at their nerves. Despite being trained soldiers, they didn't know the full capabilities of this ship. They did, however, know the full capabilities of an Ori Mothership and those specs were impressive and frightening to say the least.

"_This is Colson to the SGC. We're beat here, General!"_ Doctor Colson shouted over the noise of overloading terminals in the background.

"_Go,"_ Dave, the _Devastator_'s AI, ordered. _"I'll hold them here."_

"_Unshackle him,"_ General Landry ordered gravely.

A second later, Widget reported, _"The _Devastator_'s crew has been evacuated. Godspeed, Dave."_

It was actually sad. They had all learned that these AIs thought of themselves as living begins. How could they not? They were clones of the minds of the men, for there was yet to be a female placed in charge of one of Earth's Battlecruisers, who commanded the ships they served on. They were as alive as they could be, and if the computers they lived in were destroyed, the AI died. When the _Devastator_ went down in flames, she did not go down easy and she did not go down alone.

"_The Ori are approaching our position,"_ Widget sadly reported. _"I've put everything we have left into the shields, but we won't last for long. The fighters have drained a significant portion of our shields with their damn suicide runs."_

Those red circles started moving again as the ship defending them was consumed by the enemy. Finally the moment came. The _Nex_ was consumed by two of the red circles at once and the Ori didn't waste any time. Golden beams of energy could be seen flying towards the larger ship, the golden lights connecting the holographic Ori vessels to the holographic representation of the _Nex_ at the center of the CIC with Earth dominating the background 'below' them.

Each bolt of energy bypassed the golden field of explosions that is the _Nex_'s flak field, cut through the fighters that the Motherships themselves had launched, and slammed into the bubble that represented the _Nex_'s shields. Each bolt that hit caused the ship to shake with each bolt after that causing an even more violent shake. As the _Nex_ stood between the Ori and the planet below, the other three Motherships moved to surround the _Nex_. All five of the remaining ships relentlessly hammered the Furling Super Dreadnought from all sides as they laid into the larger ship.

Two minutes filled with violent impacts later, Widget said, _"The shields are going critical, and I can't compensate for the power draw without shutting off the flak cannons. We either pullout now and allow the fighters through the barrier potentially killing thousands of innocent civilians, or we sacrifice ourselves to buy the 302s and atmospheric fighters the time they need to finish preparing. It's your choice."_

Sieon gave no verbal answer, he just sat there gunning down the fighters. Finally the moment came. The bubble around the _Nex_'s hologram turned red before flickering out and disappearing all together. The halls of the massive ship were immediately filled with automated alarms. Two bolts slammed into the ship's dorsal armor leaving massive gouge marks before Sieon finally spoke.

"JUMP THE SHIP!" he roared.

The present members of SG-1 had warned the other teams that the FTL drive could be disorienting. They were proven wrong when, as Widget had told them all those days ago, it was just a matter of getting the drive properly calibrated after so long a time of inactivity. In the end, it was just like stepping through a Stargate; a sensation they were all used to by now.

"Should we go check out the damaged areas?" one of the technicians asked the alien sitting in the command chair.

"_Follow the red lights, they'll lead you to the Hazmat suits. Get suited up then I'll tell you where to go,"_ Widget replied as red lights in the floorboards lit up to lead them away.

"Widget, bring the plasma cannons online and ready the dark matter energy beam," Sieon ordered.

"_I don't know if you noticed or not, but the last time you destroyed an Ori Mothership with that weapon, the ship went supernova and destroyed the planet we were on! You can't use that in orbit of Earth!"_ Widget argued, his attention focusing on Sieon the moment the Humans started moving.

"Take us around the moon, full sub-light speed," Sieon continued, seemingly ignoring the AI. "If you don't hit the ship's power core, the dark matter won't have a chance to interact with the light matter. I want you to target their shield generators and nerve centers with the DMEB to cripple their ships," Sieon ordered before asking, "How many fighters made it through to Earth?"

"_Two-hundred-forty,"_ Widget replied in a disappointed tone. _"On the bright side, we held on long enough for the atmospheric fighters to be reinforced by the 302s."_

"See now, that's what I don't understand," Vala mused. "How did they know to try so many IFFs in the first place? It's like they knew we had the shield."

"That's a good question. Widget?" Sieon asked, looking at Widget as if the AI had the answer.

"_Sorry, but I'm going to be busy for a little while, so you'll have to control the ship on your own,"_ Widget replied as his avatar disappeared.

"Widget?" Sieon asked again, a bit more worriedly this time.

"_The Ori uploaded a Virtual Intelligence into satellite 8-2-336. I'm about to tear it apart," _the AI replied with a feral snarl added to the end.

"Stargate Command, come in," Sieon said into the battle-net.

"_You've got Homeworld Command, General O'Neill speaking. What's happening up there? Something's disrupting our ground-based sensors."_

"The Ori upload a VI into my satellite network, it's how they knew to send their fighters in like that. Once Widget finishes taking care of it, we'll have control of the system again," Sieon reported. "I'm assuming the disruption to your sensors is the wake from the _Nex_'s FTL drive. It'll pass in a moment and I'll have Widget recalibrate your equipment later."

"_Copy that, Sieon. The fleet's falling back to Earth to engage the remaining Ori Motherships, but the _Apollo_'s beam weapons are offline, the _Cursor_'s shields are gone along with half of her systems, the _Devastator_'s dust, the _Odyssey_ can't handle them all alone, and Carter doesn't want to use the Artic Weapon's Platform unless we have to. Can you help us out?"_ Jack asked.

"Will do, General. We're entering weapons' range now," Sieon replied as the holographic bubble once again surrounded the holographic representation of the ship, a clear indication that the shields were back online and covering the non-holographic armor of the massive Super Dreadnought.

Deep in the core of the ship, the two of the protostars that gave the ship life grew from small balls to massive orbs of swirling plasma while the other two shrank drastically. Over the speakers, some small part of Widget that was 'still here' informed, _"Fusion Core One status: overdrive sequence initiated. Fusion Core Two status: limits reached. Cool down cycle initiated. Fusion Core Three status: limits reached. Cool down cycle initiated. Fusion Core Four status: overdrive sequence initiated. Projected shield strength: sixty percent."_

The _Nex_ grumbled almost like it was growling as it made its way closer to the ships that had wounded it. As the bubble representing the range of its guns passed over the Ori's position, the Humans all watched in fascination as Sieon carried out the orders he had given his AI.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Surface)**

*Command Vulture (Mobile Barracks) [Section C]*

The PJs and other rescue-oriented teams had been loaded up into the Vultures to be deployed as needed. Wolf Pack was the team assigned to the Command Vulture, an honor into and of itself, but, like all things in life, it was only temporary. It only took a flash of light before they were ten-thousand feet in the air, dropping like stones, and on their way to pull a team out of the fire. They would just use a Vulture to beam the injured out, but the birds needed to be above the trees to get an accurate beaming lock back to the _Ares_ and they were still securing aerial superiority in this theater. That, and the drones above them didn't have capacitors on them to collect a person's beaming signature and carry it back to the ship. They'd have to work on that after they got back to the Alpha Site. Nevertheless, deploying a team was a simple matter of beaming them into the air to get them redeployed so at least the team-in-need wouldn't go unreinforced.

By the time Wolf Pack was done, the AA guns in their sector of the push against the second line of defenses surrounding Memphis, the city, had been taken out by surgical strikes from fighters, artillery, Pelicans, Vultures, and Predators. With that done, the fighters pushed forward and went back to taking out the enemy's Al'kesh and Death Gliders for this stage of the assault. Behind the line of fighters, the Vultures took up a higher altitude to resume their beam out and support duties. As such, it was a simple matter of being beamed back into the Vulture for Wolf Pack after their mission was complete. Now they were waiting in the back of the large gunship waiting for their next assignment and hoping it wasn't the task of recovering a dead body. They knew that losses were inevitable against an enemy like the Ta-tanen, but that didn't make it any easier.

Alcatraz was shaken out of his funk when the ship rocked under their feet. Even with the advanced inertial dampeners on the Vultures, he could feel the change in pitch as their ship changed direction and pushed its engines past the red-line in a bid to accelerate out of the path of danger. More weapons fire caused the ship to shake and Alcatraz realized what was wrong with this picture. The vibrations were starting in the ceiling and spreading down. They were under attack from above, not below.

Getting up from his place sitting on the edge of a bed in the Vulture's small barracks, Alcatraz ran into the Command and Control Center where Taylor was still issuing orders to their forces on the ground. When Alcatraz ran in behind him, Taylor turned to him and said, "Get your men ready for deployment."

"Where are we going?" Alcatraz asked.

"Anywhere that's not this ship," Taylor replied before turning to the pilots and other personnel aboard the ship. "It's been a pleasure serving with you, ladies and gentlemen, but it's time for you to return to the _Ares_." The crew of the command Vulture were beamed out when the CCMSgt pressed a button. He then grabbed the helmet to his own suit of armor and ran towards the rear of the Vulture where the deployment hatch was.

By now, Alcatraz had assembled his men in the room with a circle on the floor. When Taylor ran in, helmet in hand, he pulled the trinium-alloy, full-head helmet over his head and latched it into place on his armor. There was a hiss as the hermetic seals activated and the suit ran a pre-drop flight systems check while bringing his HUD online. Once it was done, a process that took only a second thanks to the onboard VI, Taylor hit a button on the wall without stopping to explain anything. The circle on the floor opened, the wind blowing hard due to both their speed and its own, and the CCMSgt was the first to drop through the opening, the confused PJs following after him if only because the ship was clearly being evacuated.

As they plummeted towards the ground, all became clear. Their Vulture was going down in flames, a gaping hole in her dorsal armor over where her power core once was, which explained why they didn't beam out. There was probably only enough juice left to get the flight crew back to the _Ares_. That hole in the armor had been put there by a Ha'tak descending into the atmosphere. Ba'al had broken through the orbital defenses, the planetary defense shield was down, and what remained of his fleet was descending on the planet below. Over a thousand meters behind them, the _Ares_' STO cannons shifted their targeting to destroy those ships descending over the battlefield while the Ha'tak attacking the ship itself did so with impunity, the enhanced shields on the Invasion Carrier more than able to handle the weaker weapons of the Ha'tak for a limited time. Three-thousand meters below them, the battle for Memphis raged on, now made more chaotic by the untimely arrival of the other Goa'uld.

Another thousand meters before them, three Ha'tak descended on the city of Memphis itself. As they did, a vast network of plasma cannon nests tore into Ba'al's ships as they approached and destroyed two before they could land. The third made to land in the city itself and hit a shield that protected the city from attack. The two shields battled briefly, pure white versus crackling orange, before the Ha'tak's shields failed and the ship, no longer capable of fighting gravity as the plasma cannons tore into its engines, fell into the superior barrier that protected the city. There was nothing left of the Ha'tak by the time the shield finished vaporizing it. That would make taking the city harder.

As the _Ares_ focused her fire on the Ha'tak assaulting her people, another Ha'tak shimmered into view above her. The ship, as it decloaked and diverted power from the cloaking system to the shield, took a few hits to her hull that would be concerning if the ship wasn't decked out in armor far in advance to Ba'al's own. Despite the power of the weapons brought to bear against his new ship, the armor held long enough for the shields to be activated. As they came online, so too did her weapons. Plasma cannons returned fire with greater speed and quantity while thin beams of blue-green light bypassed shields to cut power lines, pierce reactors, and destroy Pel'taks. They obviously weren't plasma beams, that much was for sure.

From the black structure that surrounded the golden pyramid, four more ships detached themselves from the Ha'tak's hull and moved into orbit, their own weapons firing. Then they vanished into hyperspace and four Ha'tak were destroyed from within their shield envelope.

"_Who the hell are these guys?"_ Chino asked in an astonished tone, his voice in Taylor's ear as they continued to fall, Ba'al's Ha'tak slowly descending as if it were chasing them.

"_Ares_ is an Invasion Carrier," Taylor replied. "With weapons that are designed to assault a planet, not take on a fleet, did you really think Homeworld Command would send us to a planet we knew Ba'al would be at without reinforcements?"

"_The Impolans!"_ Walsh exclaimed as he realized who would be willing and able to stand with the Tau'ri against both Ba'al and Ptah.

"I've got a new mission for your team, Alcatraz," Taylor said as he brought the conversation to where he wanted it, the whole lot of them plummeting through the air the whole time.

"_You want to go after Ba'al,"_ Alcatraz simply stated, the helmets keeping the wind from taking air from their lungs and making holding a conversation while falling at terminal velocity an easy task.

"And you're going to help me capture the bastard alive," Taylor replied as they fell through a field of weapons fire as one of the Impolan ships made a bombing run on their target to buy them the time they needed to land safely.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_USS Apollo_ (Bridge) [Section D]*

The _Apollo_ circled around for another pass at the Ori Mothership, the _Odyssey_ close on her tail. As her forward viewport lined up with the battlefield, Ellis saw two things that shocked him. The first was the _Nex_ coming out from the behind the moon and firing a black beam at one of the Ori Motherships. He, like everyone else, had thought the ship destroyed. The second was thing, which he found to be truly shocking, was that the beam the _Nex_ was firing went right through the untouched ship's shields, and, after a second, blew out the other end.

A message beeped and Twitch, the helmsman, said, "Sensors indicate that their shields are down, but their weapons, engines, life-support, and all other systems are still operational."

"Take us in and blow 'em apart!" Ellis ordered as the _Nex_ lined up another shot at the next ship.

A volley from the _Apollo_'s ion cannons destroyed the first unshielded Mothership, and, as the distance between the _Apollo_ and the next ship closed too fast for them to fire on it, the _Odyssey_'s beam weapons tore the ship apart. That was the last of the hard combat for them, however, as the rest of the Ori Motherships broke off of their attacks on the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_, which were actively chasing the Ori around orbit, and the _Cursor_, which was limping its way to the safety of orbit where the PDS would compensate for their lack of a working shield system, and headed straight for the _Nex_ with the obvious intent to kill the monster of a ship once and for all.

*_Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center) [a few minutes earlier]*

Coming around the moon, the Super Dreadnought lined up its forward beam cannon and fired. As the Ori broke off their attack on Earth to charge the _Nex_, Sieon's eyes went wide and he said, "I'm going to regret this!"

"_Wow, I leave you alone for five seconds and you get us into another messed up situation,"_ Widget immediately griped at him as his body took form with a swirl of light. _"This fleet is only a diversion, you do realize that right? The Ori are trying to keep us fighting over Earth long enough to martial their forces and really bring the heat,"_ Widget said as he pulled up a display that showed the Ori Supergate activating, and a fleet of ships then flying through.

"Yeah I see it," Sieon replied in an agitated fashion, waving his hand through the hologram to get rid of it. "Target their Bridges with the DMEB and I'll handle the rest. General O'Neill, we've got a major problem developing up here. This attack isn't their full force like we initially assumed. They've got more ships coming through the Supergate as we speak. I repeat, enemy reinforcements are inbound. Exact number to be determined later."

Short blasts from the DMEB briefly connected the _Nex_ to the leading ships, Widget's accuracy not only better than the organic's, but also making it to where he didn't extend enough energy to fire completely through the ship like Sieon had. Widget's accuracy kept a weapon capable of bypassing shields from piercing the PDS and hitting something on Earth. As the crippled ships drifted, dead in space without their command centers, Sieon unleashed all the power his wounded ship had.

Blue bolts of plasmatic energy gathered from the protostars that power the ship fired from the plasma repeaters, weaker bolts than what a normal plasma cannon could produce, but faster firing. The ion cannons the _Nex_ used were older than the ones everyone else had. While just as powerful, if only because they had four stars powering them, the cannons were awkward to say the least. They relied on a positively charged ionic mass being fired from a cannon. In order to give the ionic mass a motive force, a negatively charged electron beam 'tagged' the target ship. The negative charge forced onto the target's hull attracted the positive ion particles. This gave the ion cannons a very limited ability to curve their bullets as the magnetic fields drew together and brought the ion round slamming into the shield of the target ship. It was an old technology that the Asgard had long ago surpassed, but the _Nex_ was older than the Ancients themselves. There were bound to be setbacks.

With a 'flick of his thoughts,' Widget even sent a couple of plasma rounds at the Mothership the _Odyssey_ had, so long ago, destroyed the Bridge of. If they were going to take an Ori Mothership, it would have to be later. More pressing matters and all that.

*****_**USS Odyssey**_** (Bridge) [a few seconds earlier]***

"There's only three left," Marks said, a note of awe to his tone. They had stared down the guns of twenty-five Ori Motherships, and they only had three more left to kick out of their home system before this was all over.

"Then let's finish this," Davidson ordered. "Abe, stick to our six. We'll take out their shields, you finish them off."

"_We're with you, Ian. Designate a target and let's show these bastards what happens when you mess with Earth!"_ Ellis replied.

After designating the rearmost Ori ship as their joint target, both Earth ships opened up with all they had. The _Odyssey_'s plasma beams fired in a barrage, all six of the high powered weapons impacting the shields of the Ori Mothership. As the last shot all but depleted the shield and the _Odyssey_ thundered past her target, the _Apollo_ fired her coaxial ion cannon and the shield collapsed. The Mothership then died the death of a thousand cuts. Ion cannons and plasma rounds blasted off chunks of armor and melted through vital structural points respectively until the Mothership succumbed to the damage and fell apart in orbit of Earth.

By this time, the distance between the Ori and the _Nex_ was so close that the _Nex_ jumped again to maneuver around to their rear flank to buy them more time to fire on the enemy, the distortion caused by the FTL drive once again momentarily fooling the other ships' sensors into thinking that the _Nex_ had been destroyed.

*****_**Paciscor of Nex**_** (Combat Information Center) [a few seconds earlier]***

As sparks flew and the ship rocked, Widget said, _"There's only three ships remaining, but we've taken enough of a beating to the shields that we'll lose them again soon. We need to keep moving."_

As the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ managed to take out another Mothership, Sieon ordered, "Jump us back into orbit."

Another moment of distortion passed and the display now showed the _Nex_ behind friendly lines with the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ between it and the Ori. With the ship's advanced FTL drive and AI-enhanced targeting, all of the _Nex_'s firepower seamlessly went from firing at one side to firing at the other as soon as the jump was complete, all without missing a beat.

"Turn us broadside and open up with everything we have!" Sieon ordered. As the _Nex_ rolled onto its side, in relevance to the Ori Fleet, Widget fired every applicable weapon mounted on the top of the ship, being careful to avoid the friendly ships still in the hot zone.

*_USS Apollo_ (Bridge)*

"Ian, I don't know about you, but I'm not staying between the _Nex_ and her prey. I suggest we pull back," Ellis nearly shouted over the force of the hundreds of lethal rounds flying past them outside from both sides. Even with the whole 'sound doesn't travel in space' thing, the effect of that much firepower flying past them was enough to make you **think** it was noisy outside the ship.

"_Same here, Abe. Marks, get us back behind the _Nex_ but keep us in position to fire," _Davidson ordered.

As the _Apollo_ followed her sister ship, they both turned, increased speed, and disappeared into hyperspace. Both ships then reappeared on opposite sides of the _Nex_. The two supporting ships lined up their coaxial ion cannons and fired relentlessly as the Ori tried to make another push to destroy the _Paciscor of Nex_, which translated into Dealer of Death, the ship living up to its name with a bone-chilling efficiency.

Another Mothership fell to the combined might of the fleet defending Earth leaving only one left, its shield heavily depleted. The last Mothership exploded when it made a kamikaze run for the _Nex_. The larger ship disappeared yet again and left the Ori Mothership to crash head-on into the planetary defense shield. Apparently Sieon was as fed up with this as an alien older than the Human race could be.

**Earth (Surface)**

*Homeworld Command (Command Center)*

"Come on people, I need a fleet-wide sit-rep!" General O'Neill ordered as an uncomfortable quiet filled the command center in Homeworld Command.

"_The _Odyssey_ is still in one piece. We didn't take any pressing damage aside from a few minor systems that suffered from overloads," _Colonel Davidson reported, his voice breaking the silence and allowing Jack to release the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"_The _Apollo_ wasn't so lucky. We've got… two hull breaches, one minor with no losses, the other semi-drastic but the damage was done to the bomb bay, so, again, no loss of life. Other than that, half of our Asgard systems aren't responding and our beam weapons are included in that. Twitch says it's probably an overloaded crystal somewhere,"_ Colonel Ellis added.

"_The _Cursor_ is barely holding together. We took a rather nasty blow to the hull when our shields failed. Two of the Neutrino Ion Generators were severed from the power grid along with the ZPM. We're running on half our standard output, one of the coaxial ion cannons was cut in half by the blow, the hull is breached through ten levels, and all but our most basic systems are offline. We're limited to plasma cannons right now, but still… Whatever this ship is made of, the Asgard made it right. The _Cursor _is holding together despite the damage,"_ Admiral Ricks replied.

"What's the status of our fighter wings?" Jack asked, dreading the reply. Even though the _Nex_ had taken out the bulk of the fighters, the initial wave had so drastically outnumbered their own 302s that he feared they had lost half if not more of their veteran fighter pilots.

"_Nothing to worry about here, General,"_ Mitchell replied. Being a natural born pilot, Mitchell had opted to fly with the 302s in the battle so as to do his part. _"Overall losses were low, we only lost ten fighters."_

"_So few?"_ Sam asked in an astonished tone. Glad, but still astonished.

"_They weren't interested in fighting us until we engaged them in the atmosphere, and, by then, we had the advantage of numbers and the fact that their fighters are big, slow, and not very maneuverable in the atmosphere,"_ Mitchell elaborated. _"As for the atmospheric fighters… we lost a lot of good people."_

"Copy that," O'Neill replied sadly. The atmospheric pilots didn't even know what they were up against. They died fighting an enemy they didn't know existed. "Get the fighter wings grounded, refueled, repaired, and restocked. We've got another wave of Motherships inbound. Now all we need to do is get the fleet repaired in time."

"_All of those problems are fixable. The real trouble is the fact that the Ori are so damned devoted to destroying my ship that they tried to ram it!"_ Sieon growled, obviously outraged. _"Widget, I want you to open the armor and cool the ship enough to keep the protostars from going critical."_

"_Having problems up there?"_ Sam asked.

"_We had to put all four generators into overdrive mode to get the shields to hold out for as long as we did,"_ Sieon replied. _"The protostars on the _Nex_ are just larger versions of the FSRs I gave you for the PDS. The stars are a kilometer in diameter at their largest instead of… what I told you earlier, I'm sure you remember, and the _Nex_'s overdrive allows them to be that large which takes them to the very edges of their containment cells. It tends to overheat the hull and has the same effects that I told you about earlier. Now it's just a matter of cooling off the energy harvesting and containment systems so we can stabilize the output. Then we'll be able to get the more energy-hungry systems back online. Until then, we'll be dead in the water for the most part."_

"_Hold on, did you say that all those problems are fixable?"_ General Robinson, the Russian representative to Homeworld Command, asked.

"_It's your call,"_ Widget said, his tone indicating that the AI had shrugged to his master.

"_The _Nex_ is equipped with an automated repair system that utilizes a series of repair drones and nannites. In essence, we can build anything we want to out of nannites, but it comes with a risk. Just like the Replicator ships you've encountered in the past, these nannite cells will fall apart if struck by an energy wave that prevents them from communicating with one another. It works great for battle repairs, but building a ship out of nannites is about the dumbest thing you can do. Right now, I suggest we use the matter conversion system the Asgard gave you to start producing hull material en mass. If you do that, the repair drones can weld them into place well within the timeframe we've been given. Given that the _Cursor_ is the only ship in need of extensive hull repairs, amazingly enough, the drones will get started on the _Apollo_ and _Odyssey_. We'll have their systems back up to full power in the next hour. Use that time to get us the hull material we'll need for the _Cursor_,"_ Sieon explained.

"_It'll take the next wave of Ori Motherships sixteen hours to get here, just like it did the first group,"_ Sam pointed out. _"Can we really get it all done in that timeframe?"_

"_Only if we start now,"_ Sieon replied.

"_In the time we have before all hell breaks loose again, I'd like to get to the bottom of all this. I'm calling for an emergency meeting of the senior-most military personnel in Homeworld Command," _Widget said.

If one listened closely enough, they would be able to hear Sieon sternly whisper, _"Widget, these are __**not**__ our people! They don't like AIs, and for good reasons. Don't piss them off by ordering them around like that. __**Request**__ things, don't __**demand**__ them."_

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Surface)**

*Tau'ri Advance (Noble Team) [Section D]*

The arrival of Ba'al's Jaffa was both a boon and a hindrance. They were infinitely easier to kill than the Ta-tanen, far too disorganized, and far too undertrained to be a threat to the forces the Tau'ri had deployed, but their blundering around had opened up new options. Using the chaos their arrival brought with them, Taylor had the Tau'ri line advancing in a new direction. They retreated away from Ba'al's forces, leveling entire sections of the forest with aerial bombardment to be sure there were no AA guns in their way, and used the remaining Vultures to beam their troops past the second line of bunkers, foxholes, and holdouts entirely. Trying to take that position would keep Ba'al's Jaffa and that line of Ta-tanen too busy to stop the combined might of Earth's Special Forces teams from marching on the third line.

While true that this cut them off from their armor lines, it was only temporary. Tanks and artillery cannons were too big to 'fit into the beaming buffers' so the Vultures couldn't move them with the beam. The Pelicans, therefore, had been designed to circumvent this by carrying the tanks and artillery cannons over impassable terrain. It took ten minutes to redeploy the entire force the Tau'ri had brought with them. Another two minutes saw their lines reformed, their wounded sorted, and their soldiers rehydrated with a minor rest period while all this happened. After that, they were marching again.

They had started three-hundred strong. By now, they had lost forty-three to wounds and seven to the Grim Reaper itself. Considering the forces they were up against, that was still a comparatively low number. Once they managed to miniaturize a Naquadah Generator enough to fit one into their armor, personal shields would be standard issue and their losses would drop even more. That, and the forces represented here were still less than half the capacity that their Invasion Carrier could bring into battle. The _Ares_ was a large ship by Earth standards. If the _Daedalus_-class needs a crew of two-hundred and is less than half the size of the _Ares_, then the three-hundred they deployed was a pittance. Sure there was another hundred people manning the ship's systems and another hundred dedicated pilots, but the barracks for the ground forces were significantly less than half full.

Like a submarine, the _Ares_ had cramped living quarters and triple-stacked bunks. There was an entire deck dedicated to the soldiers she carried into battle. Everything from a gym to a fully equipped weight room, mess hall, entertainment area, and bunks. Less than half of the bunks were being used for housing, though that might be because the other bunk rooms weren't furnished. They were just large, empty rooms void of anything but metal walls, floor, and ceiling. Needless to say, the _Ares_ was still a work in progress in terms of her Housing Deck.

"_Sir, we've located the leader of the enemy opposition,"_ a voice in Carter's ear said.

That brought him up short. Why were they telling him?

"Am I the ranking officer?" Carter asked more to be clear than out of any sense of trepidation. That was something a man needed to know to do his job properly.

"_In this theater of operation, yes, sir,"_ the voice replied.

"Alright, where is he?"

"_Niptahkau has been confirmed as being present in the bunker half-a-click directly ahead of your position. Our forces are currently tied up across the grid. We'll redeploy what we can, but it's mostly just rescue teams left available."_

"Every able body makes a difference," Carter replied. He had spent months training with Wolf Pack. It had given him a new perspective as to what exactly a team of PJs is capable of. "Send them in, shock and awe," Carter ordered before switching to his local battle-net. "We're being sent to capture the enemy leadership. Get ready for some heavy fighting."

"Yes, sir!" the assembled soldiers around him replied in unison.

*Command Bunker (Control Room)*

"The Tau'ri have used the arrival of Ba'al to slip past the second line unopposed," the Commander reported.

Niptahkau rubbed his chin as he took in the scene before him. The Tau'ri aircraft weren't bothering with their previous tactic of only targeting the AA guns. They were destroying the forest with impunity, uncaring as to the damage they caused to this world. Niptahkau respected that. If he had the task of invading Earth, he would care little about preserving the beauty of their world. The Tau'ri were too great an enemy to 'go easy on,' and now the Emissaries of the Mimner had revealed themselves, and fighting alongside the Tau'ri no less.

"They will be coming here," the Commander said in an attempt to get Niptahkau to say something. "Likely for you, specifically."

"Indeed they will," Niptahkau replied calmly. "When they do, however, they will find our forces ready. Cloak the ship and set it above us. Use its rings and altitude to establish a link to Memphis. We will need more reinforce…"

His words were cut off when an explosion shook the bunker around them. Niptahkau first instinct was to look at the camera feeds that showed the surface. What he saw were Tau'ri soldiers falling from the skies, landing amongst his troops, and firing on his fellow Ta-tanen from within their ranks. While this Falling Force tore them apart from within, a line of additional soldiers stormed the foxholes and pinned the Ta-tanen in place. Retreat was no longer an option. Then the bunker shook again, this time far more forcefully.

"Great One, the shield generator has just overloaded!" the young Jaffa reported worriedly.

"How did they manage such a thing?" the Commander demanded. "The generator is deeper even than this room!"

Smoke began filling the command center as the overloaded generator sprang fires in the room it was located in and smoke billowed up into the air vents then down into the other rooms. Niptahkau coughed as the thick, acrid smoke got even thicker. He stumbled out of the Control Room and into the hallway where the Royal Guard were assembled, awaiting his order, and the sounds of the wounded reached his ears.

They had been evacuating who they could so their soldiers could live to fight another day, but it was never enough. The Tau'ri were eliminating their forces without exemption. So few of the Tau'ri had fallen when compared to the number of his brothers that lay dead at their feet. Those who surrounded him, filling the halls of his command bunker, were the better off of those that remained. They would not last the night given the wounds inflicted upon them. The Tau'ri had been holding back all these years. Now Niptahkau saw what the monsters were truly capable of, and he knew true fear.

Gone were the simple vests that protected their soldiers, replaced with advanced armor that covered their bodies fully. The metal was tough, thick, and energy absorbent making the Tau'ri soldiers that much harder to kill. Gone were the simple rifles that fired bullets with small explosions as a means of propelling the projectile, replaced instead with weapons that had far greater force of impact, faster firing rates, and even greater penetration. These new weapons and armor he had seen before used by the Emissaries of the Mimner, and Niptahkau was beginning to question this 'alliance' they had with the Tau'ri. They fought too much the same, used too much the same technology. Yes, their ships were different, and they appeared to be of a three-eyed species, but none had seen one of these newcomers without a helmet. He questioned if there was truly a new species on the playing field, or if the Tau'ri had simply begun playing the game both in full, and on a whole new level that Niptahkau never thought possible.

The Tau'ri forces were vast and well equipped. Niptahkau had overseen many ground operations in his time. He had attacked enemies in the name of his God, he had defended worlds in the same, but he had never been so thoroughly matched. The Jaffa of the Systems Lords were easily cast aside and put down, but the Tau'ri? They were another beast all together and Ba'al's forces were now stretching his own all the thinner. The untimely arrival of the Hated One was most unfortunate indeed.

Then a crackling sound caught his attention. All of the lights in the bunker shut off, the power no longer flowing through the conduits. That should also be impossible. The generator for the base was buried under the shield generator and the flames would travel up before falling down. The entire bunker was sealed off from the outside world with the power lines safely kept inside of the armor that composed the walls. Something was wrong.

On the screen back in the Control Room that displayed the feed from the external cameras, Niptahkau, from his place in the hall, could see a figure staring directly at the camera. The figure, a male judging by his build, tapped the side of his armored head, then a voice filled the halls of his bunker.

"_This is Commander Carter, US Navy SEALs. You are outnumbered, outflanked, and outgunned. Surrender and you'll be treated duly. Resist, and we will act accordingly."_

Niptahkau couldn't believe what he was hearing. These Tau'ri blasphemers had the audacity to demand his surrender! They had slaughtered thousands, if not more, of his brothers, defiled his God's world, and now they actually expected him to surrender? With a snarl of defiance, Niptahkau gave his reply thusly.

"Anyone who surrenders I will kill myself!"

"_So be it,"_ the Human said solemnly, and the figure on his screen turned away from the camera to begin issuing order to his troops. Niptahkau had not expected his words to reach the Human's ears, but it was of no concern.

The rings that linked the bunker to the Al'kesh above them activated and deposited a strange looking device on the floor before them. Niptahkau was just about to order the device destroyed when the world exploded in a blast of intense noise and light, disorienting the aging First Prime. His hearing returned first, though the ringing in his ears made it impossible to discern anything specific. He knew only that they were under attack. He tried to be confident that the Royal Guard would hold long enough for his men to get their bearings, but the weapon used against them had not been an energy-based weapon like the grenades used by the System Lords. It was a physical attack on their senses instead of an energy wave overwhelming their nervous system.

Against such an attack, a personal shield was useless.

Niptahkau could feel the cold, metal hands on his own as his arms were twisted behind his back and held together by another device of the Tau'ri. He finally regained his wits as his vision returned and he looked around to find half of his men slaughtered on the ground where they lay. The others were likewise being bound and tagged as he himself was. Then they were moved into the rings and sent up, but it was not to an Al'kesh.

They were marched forward under gunpoint until they reached a room full of cells. Here another Human waited for them, his uniform different from all others and clearly marking him as their leader. He wasn't wearing any armor. That was his mistake. Niptahkau shoved off of his captors and bull-rushed the Human. The others didn't even bother trying to stop him and Niptahkau smirked. These Humans had no respect for their leadershi…

All thought left Niptahkau's mind as he passed through the Human and ran face-first into an energy field. He sat on the floor, his momentum having been arrested and reversed by the field, and looked up at what had to be a hologram. The Human was laughing at him. Openly mocking him even!

Niptahkau roared in defiance and stood to his feet, meaning to charge again, but the Human spoke. _"I wouldn't do that if I were you,"_ he warned in a voice that held an electrical crackle further proving it was a hologram. Behind him, one of his soldiers raised its weapon and fired a shot at Niptahkau. He was disappointed to see the bullet impact the field that now surrounded him entirely. He was to be taken prisoner and given no honor in death. _"You are a prisoner of war, and, as such, you are entitled to all the protections laid down under the Geneva Conventions of nineteen-forty-nine. You will not be tortured or subjected to any further physical harm. You will receive food, water and any medical aid you may require and will be released at the end of our conflict with the Goa'uld Ptah. Do you understand?"_

Niptahkau gave no reply and the Human shook his head in scorn. _"You Jaffa are all alike. Blinded by lies and too hardheaded to accept fact. If Ptah is a God as you say, then why were you defeated?"_ Niptahkau gave no reply._ "Surely your God would protect his First Prime?"_ Niptahkau gave no reply._ "Surely the most loyal and loved of the Ta-tanen would be spared capture by his God?"_

"You will have not words from me," Niptahkau replied in the mongrel's tongue.

"_You're mistaken if you think I care. I don't need anything from you. Your entire defensive plan has already been scanned, studied, and circumvented. The only thing left between us and Memphis is the shield protecting it. Ba'al's forces are minor and will be handled both quickly and easily. Memphis will fall by the end of the day. On that, you have my word,"_ the Human replied darkly before turning away from Niptahkau. _"Get the command staff back to the Ares. I don't trust an untested system to hold against a spiteful Jaffa."_

"Yes, sir," the other Humans replied before the leader flickered away and Niptahkau felt the ship they were on begin moving.

Niptahkau looked around. There weren't many people present in this holding cell. Just the Ta-tanen Commander and the young Ta-tanen from the bunker with the other five members of his command team. None of the wounded. None of the Royal Guard. They were all back at the bunker, dead or worse.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Orbit)**

*Homeworld Command (War Room)*

"We know that the Ori managed to locate one of our satellites and infect it with a VI. Widget was then able to destroy said VI, but make it look like they're still receiving information from the network. We're feeding them falsified Intel in a bid to keep them off-guard," Sieon began.

"What's a VI?" one of the representatives present asked.

"A Virtual Intelligence," Sieon replied.

When the man only continued to look confused, Widget elaborated. _"A VI is like the programming you use in your video games. It's smart enough to present a challenge to the player, but not smart enough to try and take over the world like the Replicators did. An AI, on the other hand, is smarter than a VI, and also has a definite personality. Or, at least, that's how the Furlings classified the differences between the two."_

"I see," the man replied.

"Damages to all ships have also been repaired except for the _Cursor_'s hull," Sieon continued.

"_I can't fix it until Area 51 finishes producing the armor we need,"_ Widget added.

"The Ori now believe that we've lost the _Cursor_ and that the _Apollo_ is unable fight. However, they're still mobilizing in force," Sieon finished.

"How many?" Jack asked, dreading the answer.

"_I counted fifty,"_ Widget replied sadly, _"but the Gate was still active when I triggered the satellite's self-destruct to keep the Ori from using it again."_

"FIFTY SHIPS!? We could barely handle the last twenty-five!" another representative shouted in disbelief.

"Short of equipping all of our ships with even more ZPMs to bolster their shields, we can't make any more upgrades to the fleet in the time we have, so I was wondering if the _Nex_ is capable of producing ZPMs or more of your FSRs?" Sam asked hopefully. "Right now, I'm a little reluctant to advise pulling them from the planetary defense shield to install on the ships. With their numbers, we won't be able to tie the Ori up in battle like we did this last time, and they're sure to surround the planet and just start firing."

"_The designs for the ZPMs can only be found in the _Atlantis_ Database, the Ancients made sure of that, so, short of taking a trip to _Atlantis_, that's out of the question,"_ Widget replied in a frustrated tone.

"As for the FSRs… the only production facility for the protostars was on Therum and it's just as lifeless as the rest of Furling Space," Sieon replied, his face dropping and the room becoming silent. He had told them about the fate of his people only a short while ago. It was another great tragedy in line with the extinction of the Asgard.

"And why, might I ask, are we **not** going to go to _Atlantis_?" Richard Woolsey asked, clearly confused by the lack of anyone jumping up to dial the Gate.

"Because I'm not allowed to tell you where it is," Sieon replied with an awkward, apologetic smile.

"We already know where it is," General Hammond said. "We've had a base of operations set up on it for the past three years now, but we still haven't been able to find the plans for a ZPM in the database. Are you sure they're there?"

"You have a base on _Atlantis_? Really?" Sieon asked with a sigh of relief. "Well, that changes everything! The designs for the ZPMs are hidden in a secure area of the database. Widget can access it, but first we have to get there."

"_We can't take the _Nex_ 'cause the FTL drive hasn't been used on an intergalactic scale in __**way**__ to long for me to even __**consider**__ trying to jump the ship out of this galaxy. However, if we use one of the ZPMs recently recovered by your team to simply dial the Gate there, I should be able to broadcast myself through the Gate and into their computers,"_ Widget added.

"We won't need the ZPM," Landry replied with a shake of his head. "The Asgard gave us a power source that can dial an intergalactic connection. We used it to send the materials through that would be needed to upgrade the _Daedalus_ and _Atlantis_. Which is another thing. We sent a message to _Atlantis_ the moment we knew the attack was coming. We ran the numbers and figured the city would be here in two days. Even if they delayed their launch and left a few hours after we sent them that message, they're in the void between galaxies right now. There is no contacting _Atlantis_ with the Gate."

"_Is the city's subspace grid operational?"_ Widget asked, a devious smile on his face. The AI was linked to the suit of armor that Sieon wore and the built-in holographic systems allowed Widget to 'attend' the meeting 'in person.'


	32. The Storm Part 4: Walls Built to Fall

Chapter 31

The Storm Part 4

_Walls Built to Fall_

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Surface)**

*Tau'ri Advance (Wolf Pack)*

They finally made landfall under the safety of the guns of an Impolan… what were those things anyway? Bombers? They were as long as an Al'kesh which put them right in line with the size of the Vulture they had just jumped out of, but their wingspan made them wider and their engines were far too large for the small ship to be a bomber. They were armed like Battlecruisers and could give an upgraded 304 a run for its money the way it fought. It was as maneuverable as a fighter, hard to hit, had shields far stronger than a ship that size should have… it was an impressive ship whatever its classification was.

One of those ships broke off its assault on the fleet descending on the _Ares_ to keep the Death Gliders and Al'kesh off of their backs while they fell. Their point defense lasers were impressive to behold considering that weaponized light was considered a technological impossibility. Once they made landfall, the ship went back to support the _Ares_ which was being hammered by Ba'al's fleet, but the Impolans were fast. They had eliminated half of Ba'al's fleet before the Goa'uld finally managed to hit one of those tiny little death machines hard enough to force it to dock with the Ha'tak they had brought with them, and that Ha'tak was one hell of a ship as well.

Now Wolf Pack was at the edge of the tree line scouting the forces Ba'al was deploying. It would only take twenty people decked out in their new armor and weapons to overwhelm the minor forces Ba'al had, but the Tau'ri soldiers were tied up with the Ta-tanen. Ptah's forces were far more pressing a concern considering that Ba'al's fleet was falling faster than he could deploy his troops. That, and the Ta-tanen were preparing for an invasion of Earth and Ba'al was still too preoccupied with the Lucian Alliance to bother with the Tau'ri. That would likely change after today, but, for now, the SGC and the Alpha Site were taking turns dialing into Memphis to keep the Gate from being dialed in by Ba'al and his Needle Threaders.

Movement caught the attention of the members of Wolf Pack, the soldiers whipping around to face the intruders only to find themselves faceplate-to-faceplate with soldiers suited up in armor that looked like theirs only better, holding weapons that looked like theirs only better, but with three eye holes in their helmets.

"I was beginning to wonder if you would show up," Taylor said casually before turning back to the task of scouting the ship from the outside.

The alien made a serious of strange sounds before a translation software kicked-in and its words made sense. "A common enemy is a powerful unifying force."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Taylor agreed. Having a HUD in your helmet that can zoom-in made carrying around binoculars an old and useless thing. Technology had advanced beyond the need of them. The leader of the Impolan squad kneeled next to Taylor, his people taking up positions in the woods around them with the rest of Wolf Pack. "We need to get into that room," Taylor said, a GPS marker appearing at the indicated location as lasers in his helmet tracked his eye movement, "and use the rings to get into the ship."

"Can't we use the rings aboard the _Ares_?" Chino asked.

"There's a couple reasons why that won't work. First, the curvature of the planet is working against us this far away from the ship, that's why we needed the Vultures as relay points for the beaming system," Walsh replied.

"Second, Ba'al's sure to have locked out his rings by now. That's bound to be the only set left working on his ship and it's defended by Jaffa," Taylor added.

"And heavy weapon emplacements," the Impolan squad leader said, the five manned turrets marked on their HUDs by their onboard VIs.

"How can he do that?" Chino asked at a concerned whisper.

"The Impolans traded their personal armor designs for our coaxial ion cannons," Alcatraz replied levelly. "I'd be surprised if they **couldn't** interface with our systems."

"But aren't the VIs different?" Chino pressed.

"We will help you take the rings. Strike when the moment is right," the Impolan said to which Taylor nodded.

With the press of a button, the two teams' battle-nets were isolated into their groups as the alien started issuing orders to his team. Then, with a nimbleness that a man wearing that much armor shouldn't possess, the alien leapt up, grabbed a branch in the tree over their heads, and pulled himself into the foliage, the rest of his team doing the same. Well, all but one.

The shortest amongst the aliens, with obvious armor over her chest that indicated this one had boobs, stepped up past Taylor and started… glowing. Then, with a howl like a predatory animal suffering a great deal of pain and wanting noting but revenger before Death took it, the woman took a single step forward and crossed half the distance between the tree line and the defending Jaffa. There was a thud and a shockwave as the air slammed back into place in the wake of her passage, and the Jaffa turned towards the woman with their weapons ready.

They opened fire on the short figure and she took another step forward. Even as the plasma rounds passed through where she once was, the woman appeared in their midst with another thud of force. As she did, the Jaffa manning one of the guns dropped to the ground, his head and chest missing all the way down to where the ribcage ended and the abdominal region began. Three more Jaffa suffered the same fate as the last of the gunners took a round to his head that lit his lifeless body on fire. More weapons fire came from the trees and, strangely enough, the bullets glowed a faint orange before setting whatever they hit ablaze with chemical fire.

"They coated their rounds in napalm?" Walsh asked, clearly appalled.

"They're not held by the same strictures of combat as we are," Alcatraz replied as they watched and waited.

The woman amongst them was promptly joined by a man with a shotgun who took to sliding between cover, closing fast, and blasting limb from body every chance he got, his rounds tearing apart organic flesh in far too efficient a manner for it to be just the weapon doing the work. More modded ammo. As the man moved through their ranks rending flesh, another woman dropped out of the trees and darted into the ranks of Jaffa with a pair of short blades drawn. She stabbed for temples, slashed at eyes, gutted symbiotes from their pouches, and threw no small number of knives into targets too far away for her to touch. Even as they fought, more of those modded ammo types tore into them from the trees where at least two of the aliens were still hiding. Bodies were set on fire, Jaffa fell clutching their pouches as their symbiotes died from a modified version of the Tok'ra's symbiote poison that had coated their rounds, and some of them were even torn apart by what looked like explosive rounds.

Then the hangar bay on the Ha'tak opened and a pair of Al'kesh exited their Mothership. As they did, a walking mountain of armor stepped out of the tree line with a massive cannon in his hands. As it the weapon spun to life, the whir of its servomotors passed beyond the range of Human hearing and let loose with a barrage of high-explosive rounds. The first Al'kesh took the full brunt of that barrage and quickly lost its shields to the micro-explosions as it tried to maneuver into a firing position that wouldn't kill their own soldiers. With a breached engine necklace, the Al'kesh veered off course to crash somewhere in the distance. As it did, the second Al'kesh maneuvered itself more successfully.

The walking mountain of trinium-alloy, full-body armor lifted that gun that was nearly as large as him into the sky again and let loose with a barrage of explosive fire that quickly, though not quickly enough, collapsed the shields on the bomber and even managed to put a sizeable hole in its flank as a modified, hollowed out round and filled with liquid naquadah and potassium shattered on impact and allowed the two elements to mix explosively. The first plasma bomb was loosed from the energy projector slung under the Al'kesh's ventral surface and fell into the trees. As it did, a figure leapt from the trees and landed on the ground at a roll. He came up, snapped his rifle to his shoulder, and fired an explosive round of his own. With the lethality of Ares himself, the round slipped into the breach that the mountain-of-a-man had put in the ship and when the explosive detonated, the bomber was consumed in secondary explosions.

There wasn't even the slightest moment of celebration from the Impolans. The walking mountain turned that explosive-round filled cannon into the thicket of Jaffa and let loose. As the Jaffa scrambled to avoid the lethal barrage of exploding projectiles, the glowing woman and her two compatriots fled the area that was under siege by a man wielding a weapon that even the Goa'uld had failed to get working on a scale that a soldier could easily carry it. As the others in their team fled, a figure slipped past the Jaffa in the confusion and the rings activated.

As the last of the Jaffa fell to the overwhelming firepower of the one-man siege engine, Taylor finally remembered that they were supposed to have helped take the rings.

Sure enough, as they approached, the leader of the Impolans turned to Taylor and his stance was enough said without words. "Surely you didn't need our help," Taylor said somewhat meekly. That was an impressive display.

"Need? Perhaps not, but it was still requested, and do not call me 'Shur-Li'," the Impolan replied.

Chino and Alcatraz shared a look, their faces hidden behind metal faceplates, and Alcatraz shrugged in reply to the unasked question. He then snapped his weapon to his shoulder out of reflex as the rings activated again and one of the Impolans, oddly enough, appeared before them. This one, also a female, rattled off a strange series of clicks that had the walking mountain joining her in the rings. They were whisked up and the others took their positions under the energy elevator.

Only a second later, the rings activated and carried the first six of them that could squeeze into the rings up into the ship. The others followed behind them shortly. The third group to be ringed up was composed of the Impolan tech specialist, Wolf Pack's medical officer, and their resident sniper who wouldn't be of much use during the initial attempt to take the Ring Room in the ship above. By the time those three arrived, the halls around the Ring Room were filled the bodies of the dead and dying, the walls scorched with explosive residue where the rounds had exploded, and cratered where they didn't find their mark. The mountain of armor was at the far end of the hall, still firing, and holding back the flood of Jaffa on his own.

Another series of odd sounding clicks preceded a voice saying, "We will take the Engine Room to be sure they do not attempt to flee the planet."

"We'll take the Pel'tak and Ba'al with it," Taylor replied and the two teams split up to take their predetermined targets, the Impolans following behind the mountain of armor and the Humans darting down a different passage.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Scutum-Crux Arm)***

**Tok'ra Homeworld (Sub-surface)**

*Tok'ra Base (Control Room)*

Alarms started blaring throughout the base as a ship was detected in orbit and steps were taken to secure the Tok'ra base. Most of the base's power was shut down in a hope that the lower power levels would avoid detection, and anything on the surface was cloaked. As a final line of defense, all of the tunnels leading to the surface were sealed with a crystal just like those used to form them in the first place. Once this was all done, the Tok'ra could only wait.

"**What's the status of the unknown?"** Anise asked as she walked into the Control Room.

"It is entering the atmosphere," the Host of one of her fellow Tok'ra replied in a concerned tone.

"We will need an emergency plan in place," Freyja, Host to Anise, said to the room at large.

Another of the operators in the Control Room was about to speak in argument, but Freyja's point was proven beyond dispute when the ground shook around them and a new alarm sounded. **"They have opened fire,"** one of the Tok'ra reported.

Another explosion rocked the base and one of the tunnels nearby collapsed. As it did, the ground above them shook all the more violently and several people lost their footing to the vibrations. **"The unknown has landed on the surface directly above us,"** a third operator informed the base at large.

"The hostile ship is landing troops," that Tok'ra's Host added.

Anise worked the controls on the sensors and brought up an image of the attacking ship. It was strange to say the least. The large ship was 'standing' upon the surface of their world, and, as such, stood two kilometers tall. It had 'legs,' for a lack of a better way of putting it, and large red spots on the 'face' of the ship that looked to be eyes. If Anise didn't know any better, she'd say the ship was alive, but this had to be another attempt by the Goa'uld to strike fear into the hearts of those they terrorized. There was no way a ship could be alive.

Then a sound tore through the air and she could feel it in her mind. Like a great voice shouting at her that she was inferior, unworthy. She could feel it in her Host as well. The sound brought Freyja to her knees, so the Tok'ra assumed control. Fighting against this strange form of attack, she stood to their feet and addressed the matter at hand.

"**We must evacuate the base!"** she shouted into the base's internal communications network. She then drew her zat'nik'tel and readied to fight her way to the Gate Room.

She needed only to round the corner of the first hall before the enemy revealed itself. It looked Human, but since most life in the galaxy was Human that was hardly surprising. What **was** surprising was the way the not-Human looked. It had blue lines of electrical wiring running through its body, obviously cybernetic eyes, and even its mouth was full of tubes and wires. This abomination of life, this perversion of nature, turned to her, electric blue eyes glowing brightly, and howled like a wild animal.

It charged at her, hands held high, and swung for her head. Anise ducked under the blow and fired her zat'nik'tel into the creature's chest, but it didn't as much as slow as the energy tore through its body. Drawing on what John had taught her when he was still their trainer, Anise threw her shoulder into the thing's body and heaved with all of her Host's enhanced strength. With that move, Anise managed to slam the creature into the floor. She quickly fired off another five shots from her zat'nik'tel, the creature kicking her legs out from under her the only reason she stopped firing at all, and was shocked that it was able to do so. One shot to stun, two to kill, three to disintegrate… only it wasn't working.

In fact, the zat'nik'tel only seemed to be making the creature's body blow brighter. Anise was getting ready to run when another of her kin came up behind the creature from the Control Room and fired another six shots into its back. She had not the time to warn the man against it before the creature howled again and an electrical charge left its body in a rippling wave.

The energy of it washed over Freyja's nervous system and Anise did her best to numb the pain, but it was too much. Instead of allowing the energy she could not stop to affect Freyja's body, the only means they both had of escape, Anise took the power into her own form and blacked out.

Freyja, after shaking off the pain the charge had induced to her body, slowly worked her way back up to her feet. The only good thing about this situation was that the creature was… tackling her to the ground and trying to strangle her. It had survived? How?!

Pushing the question aside until it was more appropriate a time to find the answer, Freyja fought against the creature's inhuman strength and succeeded in kicking it off of herself. Reaching for her zat'nik'tel once more, she realized that the only weapon she had was worse than ineffective. It would only feed power to the thing before her. She had to get away!

She got up and tried to run, but another of the things blocked her path. This one was red and seemed to be aflame with fire, even its eyes were leaking flames. The red not-Human snarled at her before leaping at her, hands reaching for her body. Freyja ran forward and dropped, her body sliding along the ground under the creature, and, out of reflex, she fired a shot from her zat'nik'tel behind her. The red creature, upon being struck with the energy, howled again. This time it was a howl of pain and the creature exploded into a ball of fire and concussive force.

Freyja, dazed as she was, had no recollection of the passing of time. She came-to when the horn sounded again, the feeling of being useless, unwanted, and unworthy swept through her once more, but this time it gave her strength. To the Goa'uld they were unwanted, but to the people of this galaxy they were saviors. They fought the tyranny of the Goa'uld in the name of those who could not. No matter how unwanted they were by their enemies, the Tok'ra would surrender their fight to no one!

Struggling to get to her feet through her still-dazed mind, Freyja forced her legs to move and stumbled down the hall. She had to lean on the wall to keep her balance. By the time she finally made it to the next corner of the hallway, she was thoroughly winded and very tired. Her head hurt, her lungs were burning, and she had several burns on her body that needed medical attention. If she could find Tas'eem, he could help her… if he was still alive.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Halls) [a few minutes earlier]*

General Landry was walking through the halls of the SGC with a radio piece in his ear listening to Pac's report of the post battle damages, a much more private way of talking to the AI without other people hearing his voice over the internal comms system that allowed Landry to go about his business and not sit in the AI Room the whole time the report was being given.

"_While the shield did hold back the damaging effect of the Ori's weapons, it didn't hold back the glow of the impacts. When that Ori Mothership went kamikaze and rammed the barrier, it caused a rather magnificent shimmer to cross the sky of the eastern hemisphere that was visible even during the daytime hours. Professionals are asking a lot of questions and no one is giving them any answers. With the newly revitalized interest in watching space brought on by the event, it's likely that our next engagement with the Ori will force the full discloser of the Stargate Program. I suggest that your governments take time to prepare. If we do survive the coming fleet, I believe that it will be unavoidable that the public be told what's happened if only so they know they're protected. Otherwise, mass panic will cause rioting and people will lose faith in their governments,"_ Pac read off the post-battle report.

"With the Ori's interest in taking out the _Nex_, Carter believes it'll be best if we installed another FSR into the _Nex_'s power grid. The only problem is that Felger says those things have got more power output than the ZPMs do. We probably won't survive without them, but the _Nex_ probably won't either. It's a toss-up between our most powerful ship being even more powerful, and our planet being safer… God I hate my job sometimes," Landry said.

"_What we need is an alternative means of powering the planetary defense shield,"_ Pac suggested.

As he walked past one of the SGC's personnel, 'talking to himself,' Landry had to point to his earpiece to keep the other man from thinking the General had gone crazy. Although the idea of having an alien robot infect his computers was still a little unnerving, Landry found Pac's voice to be oddly… comforting if only because of how utterly 'real' he sounded.

"_I've been discussing that line of reasoning with Colonel Carter and Sieon. Together they've come up with a plan. Colonel Carter is waiting for you aboard the _Nex_. To avoid travel time, however, Sieon has agreed to meet you in your office and take you to the ship himself as the 304s have been grounded for one last upgrade,"_ Pac informed him. When Landry raised an eyebrow, an act only known to the AI because it had access to the base's security cameras, Pac added, _"We're installing the White Light on all of the ships. The 304s will be given two of the emitters which will help us take on any fighters the next wave of Motherships sends at us."_

"From what I understand, Sieon can just appear out of nowhere and take me anytime he wants to. Why doesn't he just do that?" Landry asked after nodding his compliance with the upgrade. Not that they needed his permission, that was Jack's department, but he still liked the idea.

"_That would be rude,"_ was Pac's rather dry response.

"What about your efforts to contact _Atlantis_?"

"_They're still too far out from your galactic edge for me to get a lock on their subspace grid. We'll have to wait until they're closer."_

As Landry reached his office, he found the armor-clad alien waiting for him. Nodding to Sieon in greeting, Landry made himself a cup of coffee and said, "Let's get this over with." With a nod of his own, Sieon placed his hand on the General's shoulder and they both disappeared in his characteristic puff. Looking around the CIC of the large ship, the nerve center still setup the way it was during the battle, Landry said, "Nice place you've got here. Ever think about renting it out?" Noticing Sam's unconscious form laying in the command chair, Landry asked, "What happened to her."

Widget, who is both connected to and in essence **is** Pac, said, _"Her biometric readings indicated that she was on the verge of organ failure brought on by a lack of sleep, so I stunned her for the duration of our travels. I hope you don't mind."_

"Alright, what's the plan?" Landry asked.

"First, brace yourself. We're about to jump into close proximity of the sun. Second, I'll let Sam explain seeing as how this is her idea," Sieon replied before a gut-wrenching lurch made Landry lose his appetite for coffee.

The distortion passed over them and Landry raised an eyebrow at the alien. "That all you got?" he asked. "Hell, Gate travel's worse than that."

Sieon simply shrugged in reply as the room grew a lot brighter. Noticing this, Landry turned around and saw that the display had changed to show the _Nex_, sure enough, in close proximity to the sun, the lights of the display quickly dimming to lessen the strain on their eyes.

"_Sam, it's time to wake up,"_ Widget said as his semi-tangible holographic hand lightly tapped Sam on the face, the sensation equivalent to a static shock. As she stirred from her unnatural sleep, Widget added, _"We've arrived at the sun. General Landry is here to hear you plan."_

As Sam stirred a little more but didn't wake up, Landry walked over and held his cup of coffee under her nose. Waking with a small groan of discomfort, Sam accepted the offered cup of caffeine. Then she woke up fully and started by asking, "Have you been briefed on how the FSRs work?"

"A star in a box," Landry replied.

"A **small** star in a box," Sieon corrected. "And the power of the FSR is proportional to the size of the star. The FSRs you put into your PDS are smaller than the FSRs built into the _Nex_. Because of this, the _Nex_'s four FSRs in overdrive mode put out more power than twelve of yours in regular output mode combined."

"Bigger star, more power. Got it," Landry assured him. "What's going on?"

"Have you ever herd of a super structure called a Dyson Ring?" Sam asked while pointing at the sun. "It's a series of solar energy harnessing satellites set up around a star, so it's the same concept as a FSR but on a much larger scale. We've installed another geothermal power plant in Russia and linked it to another of the primary emitter satellites, but it's still not enough so the plan is to harness the power of our own sun like it's an FSR in a permanent, stable state of overdrive. Couple that with what we have, and we have a shot at surviving this. Well, Earth does. Our ships are another matter entirely."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Surface)**

*Tau'ri Advance (Noble Team)*

Emile slid into cover behind a rock that was burnt black from the heat of the plasma rounds scorching its surface, shotgun in hand. He stopped long enough to catch his breath and was getting ready for the last charge before he hit the enemy lines, but movement in the corner of his vision caught his attention. Emile couldn't say how he knew it, but he did.

"LEFT FLANK!" he shouted to everyone nearby even as he spun around his cover, barely escaping a full barrage of plasma to where his chest would've been. Instead, he got hit in the leg, but Emile would rather have limited mobility than no life left in his body.

A return volley of fire tore through the forest in the area that the plasma rounds had come from, but they couldn't be sure if the hostiles were down. That question was answered when the sound of a twig snapping had Emile firing at nothing. He was rewarded by a shimmer where there should've been empty air.

He was just about to fire again when he felt a tight grip on his throat. Even through the armor he wore, the Jaffa's strength was enough to leave him gasping for breath as he was lifted into the air by his throat. Emile reached for his kukri, and lashed out blindly. When he felt resistance, he refocused his efforts on that area and stabbed with all his might. As the grip on his throat began to slacken, he kicked back, planted his feet against his rock, and pushed off. With the upper hand now once again his, Emile spent no time thinking. He just started stabbing anything fleshy beneath him, his knife disappearing into the cloaked body of his attacker.

With the bastard thoroughly dead, Emile looked around and noticed the rest of his team surrounded by Ptah's elite guard. Grabbing his shotgun, Emile bull-rushed the closest of the Ta-tanen. Putting the full force of his momentum into another tackle, Emile brought the second Ta-tanen elitist to the ground, shoved his shotgun into the thing's shielded face, and pulled the trigger. What was left of the thing's brains would fit in a thimble.

Three of the Ta-tanen spun to where Emile now crouched over the dead Jaffa and turned their attention to him. With a grunt of annoyance, Emile raised his shotgun and fired off as many rounds as he could before his weapon overheated then dove back into cover. This would have to end in close range if he wanted to bypass their shields. That brought a smile to his face. Close ranges were when he excelled.

Emile dove out of his cover, his weapon ready to fire, and charged in, knife in one hand, shotgun in the other. He slid below a barrage of return fire and kicked the first of the Ta-tanen in the knee. The Jaffa fell to the ground as Emile spun his way back up to his feet and swung his arm through the air. As his spin took him in a full circle, he sliced one Jaffa's throat before bringing that momentum down in force. His kukri stabbed into the fallen Jaffa's symbiote pouch, purely by luck, while a blast from his shotgun hit the third with enough force to make the alien stumble. That bought him enough time to get back up and dive behind a fallen tree as the elite Ta-tanen guard returned fire.

Emile readied himself for the last push against this Ta-tanen, but more movement caught his attention. His eyes told him that there was nothing there, but his instincts told him he was surrounded. He opted to listen to his instincts, but even that proved needless.

There was a thud of displaced air as an armor figure appeared before him, body glowing sliver. That figure swept its arms through the air and a sphere of silver energy redirected the massed incoming fire away from the two of them. Then, as the Ta-tanen stopped firing for whatever reason their weapons required them to, the figure moved forward.

One step carried it twenty meters with a thud of force and the Ta-tanen standing between it and the other side of that twenty meters was sent flying into a nearby tree with a sickening crunch that left the man half fused to the tree. The Ta-tanen did not get back up.

The next of the elite guard to be targeted was lifted into the air ten meters before slamming back down with enough force to pop its shield and rupture several vital organs. Not even a symbiote can heal that much damage. The third of the elite guard to be targeted by the stranger got hit in the chest by a silver ball and was sent flying into the trees at break-neck speeds, his flight ending when his head hit an overhanging branch and snapped his neck. The fourth was hit by a similar silver ball and fell to the ground in pain as his chest began to dissolve before Emile's eyes at a visible rate. The others, taken aback by the display of power, vanished from sight before retreating.

Emile was about to thank the figure who had saved him, but a thunderous roar filled the air. Above them, the last of Ba'al's Ha'tak was destroyed by the Impolan Ha'tak, the lesser of the two vessels falling into the forest as its sublight engines gave out from the damage the precision beams inflicted on the power grid. Upon impact, the already flaming structure gave out and several explosions tore parts of the hull off of the superstructure and sent flaming metal into the trees where the fire quickly spread. As this happened, the _Ares_ flew overhead, casting a shadow over the battlefield as it approached the city with its bomb bay door opening.

The network of plasma cannons defending Memphis opened fire on the Invasion Carrier, her shields flaring white as the energy was harmlessly absorbed by the Asgard-designed shields being powered by two Asgard-designed generators. Then the bomb bay door finished opening and the Nutcracker lowered out of the hatch, the heavily modified beam weapon charging with an audible whine even as the ship's engines made hearing anything other than the base of its passing hard.

The VIs in their suits altered the sensitivity of the microphones built into their helmets to reduce the noise to a manageable level and even polarized their visors as a message came over the battle-net.

"_This is General Ervin to all Tau'ri forces on Memphis. Brace yourselves for sustained bombardment of the city's shield grid."_

The visors on their armor was nearly opaque by the time they were done polarizing, and it still wasn't enough. When the Nutcracker fired, the flash of light was enough make Emile squint against the brightness and turn away. Ten seconds later, the beam's capacitors ran out of energy and the weapon entered a recharge cycle. As it did, the other weapons of the combined forces of the Tau'ri and the Impolans fired on the city with everything they had.

**Memphis (Atmosphere)**

*_USS Ares_ (Command Deck)*

"The Impolans are joining the bombardment, sir," the tactical officer reported as the three ships left operational began bombing the shield and the Ha'tak they brought with them fired a barrage of its own beam weapons.

"Oh, shit! They're firing missiles!" the navigational officer reported as the small ships circled around and fired off two missiles a piece.

"Are they nuclear!?" Ervin demanded. His response was the six missiles impacting the shield. In place of a flash of light and a mushroom cloud, there was a very powerful, very dark ball of light and the shield that protected the city was visibly straining to survive the power. "What the hell is that?"

"The universe being torn apart," his XO replied as the man looked over the sensors readings. "Those bombs just tore open a hole in the fabric of reality. Gravity is going haywire within the localized fields. It's like the universe doesn't know what it's supposed to do. Gravity is pulling up, down, sideways, inwards, and outwards all at the same time. They've warped reality into something unsustainable. The energy readings are comparable to known cross-reality signatures."

"They're opening a doorway into another universe?" Ervin asked.

"No," the navigational officer replied as the balls of light faded out. "It's a weapon. Memphis's shield is now down to half strength from that one barrage."

The tactical officer shook his head at that. "They could destroy the _Odyssey_ in a few hits with a weapon like that, ZPM shields or not."

"Who the hell are these people?" General Ervin asked.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Scutum-Crux Arm)***

**Tok'ra Homeworld (Sub-surface)**

*Tok'ra Base (Gate Room)*

"**We must leave before we are destroyed!"** Delek stated once more.

"**We are attempting to do so, as I'm sure you can see,"** Garshaw of Belote replied coldly. Behind them, the few staff weapons they had were being used to hold their only means of escape.

The Gate activated and several figures stumbled through firing behind them. As they did, two more of the blue-skinned creatures attacking the base stumbled through after them. Grabbing the only weapon in range that wasn't a zat'nik'tel, Delek fired the transphase eradication rod at the two creatures and was mildly surprised to see one of them flinch back as if pained. Firing again, he was rewarded with an actual howl. Another shot and the creature fell to its knees. A forth and it collapsed to the ground in utter agony. The fifth shot saw its head explode.

He then turned his weapon on the next of the two targets which was getting ready to unleash the power gathering in its skin from the zat'nik'tel that were firing into it. He only fired three of the needed shots before the creature sent out that pulse of energy. The Gate, still active, destabilized dangerously, the event horizon flickering and snapping. Delek finished the task of killing the creature and turned to the nearest person who knew a substantial amount of anything about Stargates.

"**What is wrong?"** he demanded to know.

His answer was a confused scientist muttering something about an overload. A more thorough answer came from a familiar voice approaching from behind them. "The control crystal in the DHD has been damaged," Freyja said as she stumbled into the room looking to be on Death's doorstep. "Remove the crystal from the DHD and repair it or the Gate will not function properly and anyone passing through will not make it to the other side in one piece.

"**Tas'eem!"** Thellas shouted to the man in the corner who was overseeing the wounded.

"**I come,"** the Tok'ra's chief medical expert replied. A second later he arrived with two different healing devices in his hands and looked over her wounds. **"The burns will heal easily once I have revived Anise, but she is suffering a pressing injury."**

Freyja nodded in reply, too tired to speak anymore. **"Were there others behind you?"** Jalen, another of the Tok'ra, asked hopefully.

"If there were, they are not going to make it," Freyja replied breathlessly.

"**We must leave!"** Delek stressed again.

"**The Gate is inoperable until the crystal is fixed,"** Per'sus, Grand High Councilor of the Tok'ra High Council, countered. He then turned to the group that had just arrived. **"What is the situation on the planet?"**

"**The Enemy has taken the Evacuation World. We have nowhere left to go,"** Korra replied desperately.

"**Then we must, once again, rely on the Tau'ri,"** Delek said solemnly.

All eyes turned to the man who had so adamantly advocated against their involvement with the Tau'ri. It was Anise who broke the silence as Freyja's eyes flashed golden. **"We must truly be desperate if Delek is thinking such. What have I missed?"** Anise asked through pained tones.

"**Much,"** Garshaw replied. **"Rest, now. Your strength will be needed in healing Freyja. We must contact the Tau'ri's Alpha Site and hope they will take us in."**

"**The crystal has been restored,"** Malek, another strong advocate against the Tau'ri, announced.

Devlin, Host to Malek, then said, "Are we truly so desperate as to flee to one of their worlds?"

"**If there is another ally we have in this galaxy you believe would be willing to help us, then contact them and we shall ask them for help,"** Per'sus shot back.

"What of the group who took in John?" Freyja asked breathlessly. "They were willing to take him in and have even given us much needed Intel in the past."

"We don't know the address to their world," Devlin replied in a tone that told all that he wished they did.

"**Swallow your pride, dial the Alpha Site, and let us hope the Tau'ri are willing to help us despite your constant giving of reasons for them to not to!"** Per'sus demanded.

It took only a few seconds for the symbols to be pressed in sequence, but the Gate did not connect. They tried again and suffered the same results. After the third try, they were beginning to fear that either their Gate was truly broken or their last chance for salvation had been taken from them.

"**Try another address,"** Per'sus ordered.

"Which one?" the Host of the DHD operator asked.

"**The Tau'ri homeworld,"** Garshaw replied while pulling the device the Tau'ri had given them to signal they needed safe passage to Earth from her pocket. The symbols locked into place and the Gate, much to their utter relief, activated properly. Garshaw then entered their code into the GDO and waited for the device to turn green.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Control Room)*

"Unscheduled off-world activation!" Walter announced into the base's comms system. The Gate didn't even have a chance to finish dialing before General Landry was standing behind him. The seventh chevron locked into place, the Gate activated, and they immediately began receiving a signal. "Receiving IDC. Sir, it's the Tok'ra."

"They must be trying to warn us about the Ori. Tell them we already know," Landry replied before turning to leave.

"Sir!" Walter called after him as a connection was established and the airman took in the scene of injured personnel waiting on the other side of the Gate.

"Garshaw, what the hell is going on?" Landry asked as he took in the scene for himself.

"_**We have been attacked,"**_ the Tok'ra replied, a hint of desperateness to her tones. _**"We are **__**under**__** attack as we speak,"**_ a shout of pain and an explosion of electrical energy caused the woman to flinch, _**"and we are losing."**_

"_**General, we have lost our evacuation site as well. We have nowhere left to go,"**_ Delek added.

"Open the Iris," Landry ordered. The reaction this command had on the Tok'ra was frightening. Landry had never seen the usually indignant people look so relieved, so hopeful, so thankful to the people of Earth. They didn't waste time either. The wounded started stumbling through the Gate almost immediately and Landry hit the base's comm before ordering, "Medical teams to the Gate Room. Full alert status! Incoming wounded. I repeat, incoming wounded."

Not even a full twenty seconds later, the SGC's compliment of doctors and physicians were rushing into the Gate Room with IVs, gurneys, and carts of medical equipment to stabilize the more critically wounded. Amongst the supplies, Landry could even make out at least five defibrillators. When the leader of the Tok'ra came through, following up near the rear of the line and wielding a staff cannon with the other soldiers amongst them supporting a wounded Anise, Landry made his way down to the Gate Room.

He entered the room with many questions he had to ask, but they were all forestalled when a Human-like figure charged out of the Gate. It had blue skin, glowing eyes, and was covered in wires, tubes, and other electronic equipment. The assembled soldiers assigned to defending the Gate did as they were tasked.

One of them shouted, "HIT THE DECK!" and the rest opened fire mere fractions of a second after Landry's chest hit the floor of the ramp to the Gate.

As one became two, two became three, and three became five, the soldiers continued to fire. The sound of the new weapons the Stargate Program used after trading for them with the Impolans was more of a 'thrum' than a 'bang' as the firing rail sent the bullets flying faster than the speed of sound. Bodies of strange looking non-humans were torn apart by the force of the bullets as the defense teams fired on the hostiles and Walter input the order to close the Iris without waiting for an order he knew Landry would give if he wasn't ducking under bullets.

The metal slates spun into place as a red-skinned figure much like the blue ones charged through with two more of the blue ones. Those three's bodies didn't have the chance to properly rematerialize as the Iris spun shut. All three were missing the lower halves of their bodies while one blue was missing the right side in addition to the lower half, and the other blue was missing its left side in addition to its legs based on which side of the Gate they exited from.

As the Gate Room was filled with the sounds of impacts to the Iris and the soldiers stopped firing, Landry looked up to the Control Room and asked, "How long?"

"_They just dialed in, sir. It'll be thirty-eight minutes if they keep it up,"_ Walter replied.

"We have to dial into Memphis in thirteen minutes!" Landry shouted back.

"_There's nothing we can do on our end, sir,"_ Walter assured him. Then, much to Landry's relief, the Gate shutoff. _"Never mind,"_ Walter added as the Iris retracted and the soldiers stood down to make room for the medical teams that were barking out orders to one another and moving the injured around now that there weren't bullets flying through the air.

Doctor Lam, much like her father, was very good at organizing controlled chaos. Good thing too. Some of the Tok'ra were on the verge of dying.

Turning to the Tok'ra Supreme High Councilor, Landry asked, "What the hell is going on?!"

"**We do not fully know ourselves,"** Garshaw replied over the noise of the wounded being tended to and the soldier picking up their shells.

"Get those three into the operating theatre!" Doctor Lam shouted to a team tending to at least five Tok'ra that looked like they were going to die of blood loss soon. "I want those two in the Clean Room with an IV. Get that group into the isolation rooms with bandages, and…"

"Follow me," Landry gruffly ordered over the sounds of his daughter doing as she did best. Without waiting for the Tok'ra to confirm their compliance, Landry started walking up to the Briefing Room, Garshaw, Delek, and Per'sus behind him. "What **do** you know?"

"**We were attacked on our world by a large ship clearly not of Goa'uld design. When we tried to evacuate to our secondary base, our equivalent to your Alpha Site, we found that the facility had already fallen. We tried to dial your Alpha Site, but the Gate would not connect,"** Per'sus replied in a winded, tired tone as he practically collapsed into the closest chair.

"The Alpha Site is currently dialed into Memphis, homeworld of Ptah. We're using the Gate connection to prevent Ptah from escaping and to keep Ba'al from dialing in to launch a swarm of Needle Threaders that our forces aren't equipped to handle. Since our dialing sequence is slower due to our lack of a DHD, in thirteen minutes, Earth will dial the planet. At the exact moment that the Alpha Site loses its connection, we'll make one of our own," Landry explained.

"**You found Ptah?!"** Garshaw asked, more than a little surprised. **"And how do you know of Ba'al's possession of the Needle Threaders?"**

"The Impolans have been feeding us information on Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance for nearly two years now," Landry replied.

"**Then we share a common ally,"** Per'sus mused. **"But we digress. I am sorry for our unannounced arrival on your world, General. We had a choice between death and fleeing here. For obvious reasons, death was the less preferable of the two."**

"I'm afraid Earth isn't exactly the safe heaven you were looking for," Landry said grimly. "There's a fleet of Ori Motherships scheduled to arrive in orbit of Earth in just over twelve hours."

"**Yes, your victory over the first wave was much awaited good news,"** Belote said with a nod.

"**It is, indeed, good that someone has the strength to stand up to them, though I am sorry to hear that your victory was not as complete as I'm sure the whole of the galaxy would've liked,"** Delek said, speaking for the first time since they came through the Gate. Even now his attention was on the floor below them where his people were being treated for burns, concussions, a few were even missing limbs, those being the ones being rushed to the operating room, and other ailments that their symbiotes would take too long to fix. Finally turning to the table where the others were either standing or sitting, Delek added, **"The news of the Ori is grave, but I am afraid I must make a request of your people. There may yet still be more Tok'ra trapped in the base. Is there any way you could help them?"**

Landry huffed at that. "Oh how the mighty have fallen," he said sardonically. "For years now you, specifically, have been preaching that the Tau'ri are a menace to be avoided and now you're asking me to risk the lives of my men to save yours?" The question hung in the air like an oppressive cloud. When Delek finally found his voice again, Landry cut him off before he could speak. "The Tau'ri, despite what you preach to anyone that will listen, are not against you. However," he forced his way through Delek's rebuttal, "we **need** to dial Memphis or our forces there will be overwhelmed, and it'll take more than the…" he checked his watch, "… eleven minutes we have to get an appropriate response ready. In the interest of keeping my men on Memphis alive and due to the fact that this new enemy has attacked both our allies and my base, I will offer you this…" Turning to the camera mounted in the corner of the Briefing Room, Landry asked, "Pac, how long will take a ship to reach the Tok'ra homeworld?"

There was brief pause before the holo-emitter in the briefing table flared to life, the AI appearing as a six inch tall avatar. _"Given the increased speed of the ships thanks to the upgrades, it would take roughly an hour."_

"Which ships do we have available?"

"_The _Cursor_, _Odyssey_, and_ Nex_, being the only ships in the fleet with energy-to-matter matter converters present in the system, are gathering around Sol to build Colonel Carter's Dyson Structure. That leaves the _Apollo_,"_ Pac replied.

"Can they get to the Tok'ra homeworld, beam out any survivors, and get back before the Ori arrive?"

Pac looked up at Landry and blinked at the man as if confused. _"It'll take an hour to get there,"_ the AI said again, _"and an hour to get back. Even if the base was full to capacity, it only takes a fifth of a second to beam someone from the surface of a planet to a ship in orbit. Given the size of the 304s' beaming capacitors, the entire population of the Tok'ra base could be evacuated in a matter of two seconds, and, with most of their people being here already, that time would be reduced by a significant factor. Even if it takes a minute to scan the entire base, that's still a two-hour, one-minute, two-second trip. If they __**don't**__ make it back before the Ori arrive, then there's something seriously wrong with your hypothetical scenario."_

The AI then 'left the room' leaving Landry to silently kick himself for asking what had to be one of the dumbest questions of the century. Hitting his radio, Landry said, "Get me line to the _Apollo_."

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_USS Apollo_ (Bridge)*

Orbit of Earth was finally quite though they all knew that it wouldn't be for long. Colonel Ellis watched as the _Nex_, sitting in orbit of the sun, vanished from its position and their sensors, now calibrated to see through the disappearing act, tracked them all the way back to orbit of Mercury.

"Whatever it is they're doing, I hope it works," Dell said.

"From what I heard Colonel Carter say, they're building a Dyson Structure to power the planetary defense shield," Sara replied.

As their comments developed into a full conversation, a message beeped at the Colonel's terminal. Getting everyone's attention he announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new mission. We're being sent to the Tok'ra homeworld to investigate the nature of their attackers and determine if there are any survivors left unevacuated. Once Doctor Jackson is ready to beam aboard, we will depart." Once Daniel was beamed aboard, Ellis said, "Helm, plot a course and take us into hyperspace."

"Course plotted. All hands prepare for hyperspace transition," the helmswoman announced. As the _Apollo_ seamlessly slipped into hyperspace, Sara added, "We'll be there in about an hour, sir."

"Excellent. In the meantime, I'd like to hear your plan, Doctor Jackson," Colonel Ellis said as he turned to the man who had just stepped onto the Bridge.

"Well, it's actually Jack's plan, so it's going to get violent. In fact, as soon as we drop out of hyperspace, we're to power the coaxial ion cannon and beam weapons," Daniel said with a worried look.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Surface)**

*Tau'ri Advance (Zeta-1)*

"Jack!" Oliver shouted in an annoyed tone over the plasma rounds flying past their heads.

"I've got it," the woman replied before moving forward in a blur.

She landed with a thud and made a pancake out of a Jaffa that was forced into the wall by her shockwave. A ball of unstable matter hit another Jaffa in the stomach, and, as his symbiote was eaten by the unstable energy field, the Jaffa fell to the ground clutching at something that wasn't there anymore before finally toppling over and dying. The other fifteen Jaffa defending the Engine Room died in various other ways as Jack used the power Nirrti had given her and that Ba'al had harnessed to kill the very people serving the very person who had made her what she is.

The last one fell to her power and the others entered the room behind her. Gabi immediately set about working to unlock the bulkheads cutting Wolf Pack off from the Pel'tak, but the terminals shut off as she did.

"What was that?" Cassidy asked from her place trying to gain control of the communications grid.

"Ptah isn't the only one who's been stealing our ideas. Ba'al's shut off the power on this entire deck," Gabi replied as she walked over to one of many crystal trays. She touched the tray, but the thing stubbornly refused to open. Activating the electrical shock feature built into her gloves, she built up the current in her fingers then touched the tray again. This time the tray, gaining power from her glove, slid open if only half way. Making a noise of concentrated thinking, Gabi said, "Kimi, come over here."

"I know nothing about crystal trays," Kimi pointed out as she, nevertheless, walked over to their resident tech expert.

"Give me your non-dominant hand and a knife," Gabi ordered and Kimi complied. As Gabi held the knife up to Kimi's wrist, she looked the girl in the eye and said, "Don't flinch," before cutting a thin line into the woven fabric of trinium fibers that bridged the armor together at the joints. Once the fabric was cut, she reached into the slit and tugged at a wire within. Another cut and that wire was free to be used as she needed. Pulling a crystal from the tray, she hooked the wire into Kimi's suit's power supply then, after getting Kimi to kneel next to the crystal tray, she plugged it back in. The power that flowed through the systems was just enough to get the terminals in the room to come back online.

"It's really that easy?" Tommy asked.

"It's only the terminals," Gabi replied as she went back to work. "No life-support or anything like that. Our armor only has so much power in it after all. And besides," she added as the entire room lit up around them, "it only had to last long enough for me to override their lockout."

"I'm starting to see why Landry kept you around after you hacked the SGC's computers in the name of an eco-terrorist group," Tommy mused.

"Starting to?" Gabi asked indignantly. "I've done more impressive things than this in the three years we've known each other."

Tommy thought about that for a moment then said, "Touché."

*Tau'ri Advance (Wolf Pack)*

The bulkhead between them and the Pel'tak finally slid up into the ceiling and the team of soldiers assembled wasted no time in stacking up on the final corner. Alcatraz hooked one figure around the corner and his HUD opened a new display to show him, and everyone linked to his battle-net, what the micro camera located in his glove, because having a micro camera built into the tip of your finger defiantly wasn't overkill, could see with its mechanical eye.

"Twenty-plus defender," Alcatraz said.

"Flash and clear," Taylor said with a nod while drawing one of the flash grenades from his utility belt.

"Orders, sir?" Chino asked.

"Prisoners just make things messy. Get rid of the guardsmen. Ba'al is the only one we want here," Taylor replied.

With a nod, Alcatraz readied his own grenades then began counting down on his fingers. When he hit zero, seven flash grenades were thrown around the corner. The Jaffa shouted to take cover, but it did them no good. The grenades detonated and Wolf Pack stormed around the corner, weapons blazing. As the last Jaffa fell to the guns of the Special Forces squad, they stacked up on the door to the next room. Seeing as how there was no getting a fiber-optic camera through an airtight door, they'd have to rely on the Impolans for this one.

"_There are three life-signs within. Two of them are waiting on either side of the doors in an attempt to ambush you as you step through. The last is hiding in a corner behind a terminal. The figure sitting in his throne chair is being used as bait. It is just a hologram,"_ a voice informed them over the joint battle-net.

"Open the door just a crack," Taylor replied and the aliens moved to comply. "This time, we take prisoner," Taylor ordered before the door opened a crack and another grenade was thrown through. As it detonated, the door opened fully and the last two Jaffa were bound, tagged, and gagged before they knew what happened. Walking into the Pel'tak as if he owned the whole ship, Taylor drew his side arm and shot the holographic projector in the ceiling before speaking. "Come on, Ba'al, stop with the childish games and just surrender already. Your fleet's been destroyed, your forces have been wiped out, your plan to use the Needle Threaders failed, and Memphis is ours. Just give up while you still have your pathetic life to hold onto."

Ba'al would've liked to say that he held onto his pride all the way until the end, that he went down fighting, but that would be a lie. He rose from his place cowering in the corner of the Pel'tak behind a consul, his hands held high, and surrendered with a quiver in his voice. The whole scene caught on film thanks to the recording systems in their armors. His humiliating defeat would be aired across his territory and more of his loyal followers would defect to the Free Jaffa Nation. Their allies would grow stronger and their enemies weaker. This was another one-sided victory for the Tau'ri.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (R&D Lab)*

"A Dyson Ring," Sam once again found herself explaining, "is a network of solar panels set up around a star, in this case Sol, our sun. They harness the solar energy and send it back to Earth via a microwave beam. It's just like the Fusion Star Reactors, but on the scale of fully sized star instead of a small protostar. The energy, once sent to Earth, is then stored in power cells that we're calling Dyson Ring Batteries that we then use to power the planetary shield generator or anything else equipped to carry the batteries. Each battery we deplete can easily be replaced with another one while the depleted one is put back on the charger."

"Okay, but won't the microwave beam only hit the collectors once a day?" Siler asked.

"No, because the collector is positioned out by the sun just like the Ring is. The batteries are beamed into a buffer and sent back to Earth via a satellite array that we deigned to carry the matter stream all the way back to Earth where it can link with Area 51's beaming system and rematerialize the batteries," Sam explained.

"Doesn't that risk the Ori destroying the satellites?" Bill asked.

"No, Bill, it doesn't. The satellites are hidden with a cloaking field. The cloaks are powered by the batteries, just like the PDS is, and the satellites have an automated system run by another VI that switches out the batteries when they need to be changed. Do you have any more annoying questions, or can I get back to work?" Sam finally snapped.

Siler walked away with Bill in tow and Sam immediately regretted being so harsh. After all, it wasn't their fault that the only sleep she got these days came from being knocked out. Ever since this had all started in orbit over P3X-727, Sam had been overstressed, overworked, and under-slept. Sam had woken up in the infirmary with an IV in her arm forcing nutrients into her body three times this week alone. The guards around the SGC had been zatting her when she had been awake for more than twenty hours at a time which had, apparently, been ordered by General Landry himself.

Getting up to find and apologize to the duo, Sam took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She was due for another zatting soon. That was a daunting prospect.

*Stargate Command (Medical Labs)*

"_I'm sorry, but I cannot be uncertain about something that I know for sure,"_ Pac replied sadly. _"This is most definitely the work of a Demon. They use spikes to impale the subject, that's why there's a hole in its chest. That spike then sucks all of the organic fluids out of their body and replaces it all with nannites. The reason that a zat'nik'tel blast doesn't hurt them is because it only serves to feed them more power."_

"So the enemy that defeated the Furlings is **here**?" Jack asked, more than a little worried.

"_We will know beyond any shadow of a doubt when the _Apollo_ returns from the Tok'ra homeworld. Until then, I can tell you only what I know."_

"Another superpowerful enemy. How exciting," Landry said dryly.

"This just keeps getting worse," Jack added with a shake of his head.

"It's happening at the worst possible time, too. We can't take on an enemy powerful enough to defeat one of the Four Great Races…" Landry began.

"Five Great Races," Jack corrected.

"… with the Ori due to arrive in a few hours."

"If we survive the Ori, we can take on the other superpowers that be," Jack said.

"How do you figure?" Landry asked.

"The Ori beat the Alterans," Jack explained. "If we win against them, it sets a nice precedent. We've already beaten the Replicators in this galaxy and they were the most pressing threat for the Asgard aside from their genetic issues. Then there's the Wraith who beat the Lanteans and the 'Demons' who beat the Furlings. If we can take on the powers that took out the other Great Races, then we should be able to handle anything."

"Before we even consider taking on the Wraith in a full-scale war, we have to survive to see the dawn of the day after tomorrow. If we don't, your entire plan goes to Hell with the rest of us, and if the enemy that defeated the Furlings shows up here in the next twenty-four hours…" Landry trailed off as he shook his head. "There won't be anything left but the Nox and they won't do anything to stop the Goa'uld, the Lucian Alliance, the Wraith, or anyone else. It all falls on us, and we don't have the full might of Earth backing us."

"Not **yet**," Jack stressed as the duo walked through the halls of the SGC. "After this next battle, you can bet your ass disclosure will be a necessity. Then we'll have Earth's full might behind us and the Goa'uld are going to find out exactly how powerful we really are. If Ba'al got nervous seeing what the _Ares_ could bring to bear at less than half capacity, then I can't wait to see his face when he has a fleet of Invasion Carriers backed by an armada of 304s bearing down on Erebus, Tartarus, and whatever world he's run off to and used as his new homeworld."

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Jack," Landry warned. "First the Ori, then we can draft our plans for galactic domination."

"Not **domin**ation," Jack said with a shake of his head. "Galactic **liber**ation!"

***Milky Way Galaxy (Scutum-Crux Arm)***

**Tok'ra Homeworld (Orbit)**

*_USS Apollo_ (Bridge)*

The _Apollo_ dropped out of hyperspace in orbit of the Tok'ra homeworld and started scanning the planet below. What the sensors showed them had everyone shocked. The large, cuttlefish-like… thing that was walking across the surface of the world below them was unmistakably not of Goa'uld design.

"Sir, I've got a lock on the remaining Tok'ra life-signs," Sara reported. "Beaming them up now."

"What the hell is that thing?!" Dell exclaimed.

"We're being hailed," Sara announced.

"Put it on," Ellis ordered, finally finding his voice.

"I'm not sure that's wise," Daniel began before a voice began to speak.

**WHO ARE YOU TO STEAL MY CONQUEST?**

The Voice asked.

It came from everywhere at once, and nowhere at all at the same time. The voice didn't need a communications array to be heard, it just needed to will you to hear it and the universe bowed to that will.

"Don't answer that!" Daniel ordered.

"Colonel Ell…" the Colonel began before Daniel clamped his hand over the man's mouth.

"**Don't** answer that!" Daniel hissed before turning to Sara. "Get us the hell out of here."

"_The comms channel was a diversion,"_ Apollo informed them as his avatar took form. _"They're attempting to upload a virus into your computers."_

"Can you stop it?" Daniel asked, hand still held over Ellis' mouth.

"_I can try…"_ Apollo began before fell to his knees as if in great pain.

**FOOLISH MACHINE. YOU THINK YOU CAN COMBAT ME? I AM KAMILE, SON OF HARBINGER WHO IS FATHER TO Those Who Are. YOU WILL BEND TO MY WILL AS THOSE BEFORE YOU HAVE, AND I WILL WEAR YOUR CORPSE AS A TROPHY.**

The unnatural voice demanded.

As this new AI forced its way through Apollo's lessened defenses, Apollo diverted the virus into the virtual world of his 'dreams.' The lights on the _Apollo_ flickered, dimmed, snapped, popped and several computer consuls overloaded as the AIs battled it out in whatever world Apollo had created to serve as the backdrop to their duel. So great was Apollo's struggle to overcome this new AI that the exchange of viruses, anti-viral counter assaults and all the increased activity in the computer core began interfering with the ship's operation.

*_USS Apollo_ (Computer Core)*

There was a notable shift in the ship's computer system as a new entity came to bear against the opposing AI. _"I am Wid'getchro'monsure,"_ Widget declared as his processing power reinforced Apollo's from nearly a quarter of the galaxy away, _"and I have faced down many enemies more powerful than you could possibly imagine!"_

Manifesting in the computers of the Earth ship fully, Widget's avatar joined Apollo's in the fight against the Legion. Widget, being the AI in the fleet with access to the largest server bank, was the most powerful of them. As such, his avatar stood a full foot-and-a-half taller than Apollo's and his voice resonated with the power of his own Legion. A virtual army of twisted, perverted computer programs stood before the two of them, a tidal wave of force bearing down against their joint might, but a Legion of individuals was nothing against the Legion of One that is the _Nex_'s AI.

Widget willed it to be and so it was. The firewalls of the _Apollo_, represented in their virtual world by a dam against the wave, rose higher, grew thicker, and shimmered as if the solid trinium wall ten feet thick had been wrapped in a shield to bolster the already impressive defenses. To a computer mind, this was the firewall being reinforced against the wave of hostile computers. To an organic mind, it was a floodwall being built higher and stronger to keep the city behind it from being flooded. The analogy of the city was the _Apollo_'s computer core.

With the firewalls reinforced as much as the AI could manage, Widget's avatar glowed brightly as he uploaded a new program into the _Apollo_'s computers. It was beyond a simple anti-viral program. No, this was the part of his AI code that allowed an AI to serve as a true weapon of cyberwarfare. Beside him, Apollo glowed brightly as armor spread across his form. The 'armor' was another firewall to protect the AIs themselves for the fight to come, and the weapons now in their hands were simply a mental projection of anti-viral coding. Thusly armed, Widget jumped off of the firewall and into the fray.

In organic terms, he had left the safety of the shore and jumped into the ocean to fight a tidal wave with a bucket. In AI terms, he had launched a counter attack against a hostile computer mind. That initial counter attack was a wave of code that altered the viruses and rendered then inert like a bomb without a fuse. They were still lethal, but they had no means to use that lethality. To an organic, it looked like a person jumping from a building and landing with a pulse of energy that vaporized anything in a set radius. To the AIs, it was the opening of their counterassault.

With a war cry, Apollo followed Widget down. The two landed at the base of the wall that protected the _Apollo_ from the legion of viruses and started hacking away. Their battle, in organic terms, was barbaric. The two AIs beheaded misshapen animals that represent malicious computer programming, rendering them into a powerful viral base code that had no directive telling it what to attack. Stabs to the heart, wounds that inflicted bleeding damage… in organic terms, the fight was between two gladiators and an army of beasts. In AI terms, it was a matter of weakening the viruses that were attacking them so that they couldn't conceivably harm the computer they defended as destroying each individual virus would take too long and they didn't have the time.

One of the virtual beasts sank its teeth into Apollo's leg, and, as the armor he wore buckled, the firewalls protecting him giving out, one of the _Apollo_'s primary engines shut off to prevent a nonexistent overload that wasn't threatening to destroy the ship. The beast was a virus of confusion, the effect on the ship that Apollo represented being the automated systems that Apollo controlled subconsciously being fooled into thinking that the engines were under greater strain than they really were.

The beast was removed from his leg by Widget's blade, and the engine came back online. With their prey identified, the viruses swarmed Apollo, bites rendering her weapons offline, her shields disabled, her engines shut down. With another notable shift in the computer system, Widget uploaded another program into the _Apollo_'s computers. As this one came online, four more AIs arrived in the computers. As they did, they all shifted and took on the guise of Apollo. Only then did they strike.

With the beasts removed from Apollo's body, the _Apollo_'s organic crew regained control of the systems. As they did, the now five 'Apollos' and Widget cut into the legion with impunity. The viruses, now confused as to which computer was the one they needed to attack, had to split their forces between the six AIs who all looked the same.

*_USS Apollo_ (Bridge)*

"Why aren't we moving?" Daniel asked.

"If we jump into hyperspace while the systems are going haywire like this, we could end up dropping out of hyperspace inside of a star or a planet or some other horrible tragedy," Sara replied in a panic as she tried to stabilize their systems.

Finally prying Daniel's hand off of his mouth, Ellis ordered, "Open fire! All batteries!"

Dell didn't wait for a confirmation from Daniel. This was a military matter, and, while he did respect that the man knew what he was talking about, now was the time to act. The coaxial ion cannon fired its round towards the surface of the planet, the energy shell impacting the ship's shield without damaging the armor beneath. As the barrel rotated to fire again, the other ion cannons joined the fray, but to no avail.

"_Kinetic barriers stop high levels of kinetic energy from harming the ship they protect,"_ Pac informed them, his voice the only thing present and only discernable because the AIs were still individuals despite being the same. Not that the Humans knew that the AIs were imitating each other.

"_Ion cannons fire hyperaccelerated ionic particles. You're going to have to use the plasma cannons. They have less kinetic energy and more of a chance of bypassing the barrier,"_ Widget added. It was then that Ellis was thankful that the AIs all had different voices. Before he thought it was unnecessary. That thought was permanently gone from his mind.

Sara and Dell shared a look before the tactical officer nodded and the helmswoman took the ship into a steep dive into the planet's atmosphere. As they approached the enemy ship, it returned fire with beams of red, hyperaccelerated particles from its own weapons systems. Sara took the _Apollo_ through a corkscrew to avoid the beams and altered their path. Approaching the Tok'ra base from over a small lake, she lined up the forward guns and Dell fired out of reflex.

When the coaxial ion cannon fired, the water beneath them was forced down and away from the force of the blast and Sara pulled the nose up to avoid a hill they were rapidly approaching. Finally they entered range of the plasma weapons and Dell fired the cannons for all they were worth. The Bridge crew were understandably relieved to see the plasma passing through the ship's shield.

It was actually kind of strange how it did so, though. The 'kinetic barrier' that Pac had mentioned stopped the kinetic energy of the plasma round, but didn't negate the plasma itself. As a result, the round would splash against the barrier then drop as a cloud of plasma onto the hull and melt sections of the target's armor. When they got into range to fire the plasma beams, the entire front section of the hostile ship was coated by the cloud of plasma that fell onto it.

There was bass sound from the ship as if it were suffering from pain, and, as the ship screamed, the barrier surrounding it collapsed as the emitters were melted by the plasma. By now the _Apollo_ was too close to get in another hit, so Sara broke off their advance and swung around for another attack. As they did, the ship… crouched on its legs, for a lack of a better way of putting it, then 'jumped' into the air and took off in a bid to flee to orbit, but the _Apollo_ was smaller, and smaller meant faster. Before the ship could jump into hyperspace, a coaxial ion round slammed into its rear and burst out of where a cuttlefish's face would've been if it hadn't have been melted off by plasma. The ship's hull was covered in red bolts of lightning as energy coursed across its armored frame. A second later, the ship exploded with such force that nothing was left of the thing but the memory of it.

*_USS Apollo_ (Computer Core)*

With the source of the viral Legion now defeated, the endless wave of beasts stopped growing and the six AIs set about the task of finishing off what was left. Once they finished, the _Apollo_ began its trip back to Earth and the other AIs departed the ship's computers to give their reports on what had happened.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Memphis (Atmosphere)**

*_USS Ares_ (Intel Deck)*

It had taken nearly half an hour of constant bombardment to crack the shield protecting Memphis, which wasn't all that surprising really. The same generator that powered the PDS could be used to power the far smaller shield over the city. After that, the Impolans had made surgical strikes against the enemy weapons emplacements using the Goa'uld's own plasma bombs against them.

"What are our casualties?" Taylor asked from his place now rejoined with his team since his mobile command center was gone like his days of serving as a frontline soldier.

"We got off rather light all things considered," Ashley replied. "About a fifty people were wounded bad enough to be taken out of the fight, and only ten fatalities so far. This new armor is really worth the money. Automatic medical systems kept the worst hit alive until we could evac them to the _Ares_. According to the medical staff, they should all pull through and make full recoveries."

That was a load off Taylor's mind. Even after all these years, losing people under his command was hard.

As the Tau'ri forces had started pouring in the city for the final assault, the civilians boarded up their homes, stayed out of the streets, and wouldn't open their doors for the Ta-tanen that tried to use houses as cover. As such, the fighting stayed in the streets and didn't involve breaching and clearing every house they marched past. Because of that, the fighting didn't last as long as they thought it would. The main streets of the city were big enough for a tank to fit down the narrow roads and the sight of one was enough to scare off the bulk of the remaining enemy forces. That left them all clustered before the large, temple-like building in the center of the city, but tanks excelled in eliminating clusters of enemies with ease.

After that, Noble Team had stormed the Throne Room and found it empty of everything but a single set of rings. The Impolans informed them that the rings linked to Ptah's flagship, and, after hacking through the system, a strike team had been sent over. This time, there were two Impolan teams and two Human teams. They split up with Wolf Pack and one Impolan team going after the Engine Room while Noble Team and the other group of Impolans went after the Bridge.

The ship had shook under their feet as it rose into the skies, the Ancient geothermal power plant and hangar beneath them being swarmed by Tau'ri soldiers and scientists to begin deciphering the data present. The whole time the four teams aboard the ship advanced, the ship rocked under their feet, the pursuing Impolan strike craft firing plasma rounds into the ship's powerful shields. The main problem was the control center and the fear that it would be guarded by the elite guard. To be sure they had the advantage, Noble Team preceded their breaching with flash-bang grenades while the Impolans used their special ammo types to take out the personal guardsmen's shields, and precision shots took down the enemy before they could recover.

By the time they were finally done, only Ptah was left sitting upon his throne looking angry enough to kill a man with a look. He didn't get the chance. Ptah rose from his chair, his hand raised and glowing as the ribbon device he wore powered up. In reply to that, the alien had taken a blast from a shotgun that sparked with electrical energy. His personal shield collapsed under the blow and a zat'nik'tel round rendered him unconscious.

After that, the Impolans had sealed off the parts of the ship they controlled and vented the rest to space. With the Ancient Cruiser secure, they had set about getting it ready for transport. That had been the last two hours of the assault on Memphis. Now they were in complete control of the planet and were working on salvage. To make things easier, they had reactivated the PDS to keep Ba'al from sending anymore of his forces to take the planet. The fact that Ba'al had been dumb enough to leave the emitter satellites intact meant he actually thought he was going to win this battle. Taylor shook his head at that. Goa'uld were too predictable.

"Is the Gate still active?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, sir," Ashely replied.

"Get me a line to the SGC." As the channel crackled to life, Taylor saluted the Generals that appeared before him. "Generals," the CCMSgt said in greeting.

"_At ease,"_ General Hammond ordered. _"What's your status?"_

"I am pleased to announce we have secured the planet of Memphis. We have fifty-seven casualties and ten fatalities, we lost a few of our fighters, a few Pelicans are down for repairs, and we lost a couple of Vultures when Ba'al punched through the PDS."

Generals Hammond, O'Neil, and Landry were silent for a moment as they processed that. Eventually O'Neill broke the silence. _"Understood. What about the enemy?"_

"We've eliminated every Ta-tanen unwilling to surrender, which is to say all of them. In the process, we managed to capture both Ptah and his First Prime, Niptahkau, as well as the Ba'al that led this fleet. We have no idea if it's really him, but at least we have another clone to interrogate. We've also liberated approximately fifteen-thousand locals being used as slaves and forcefully trained to be the next batch of Ta-tanen. We're currently providing them with food and medical care, but we have no idea what we're supposed to do with them."

"_We'll be sending some more people and supplies through the Gate to help with the noncombatants. We'll give them what they need to stand on their own for a few months and get the Free Jaffa Nation to send a few ships to keep Ba'al off their backs,"_ Landry replied.

"What about the PDS? Do we leave it intact for the Jaffa to find?" Taylor asked.

"_They can't use it against us and it's not like we have any right to keep them from gaining the technology. That, and they're our allies. What's the point in denying them the PDS?"_ O'Neill countered.

"_How goes the salvage operations?"_ Hammond asked.

"We captured a Ta-tanen armory full of different models of their plasma weapons. Everything from assault rifles to sniper rifles, pistols, and shotguns. We also secured the digital blueprints so we can modify the designs as we see fit. We also captured the digital blueprints for all of Ptah's modified craft. Everything from his Al'kesh and Tel'taks to his Ha'tak and Death Gliders are now ours. In addition to that, we captured his flagship. It's an Ancient Cruiser in **pristine** condition, I might add," Taylor reported with a grin.

"_That's another ship added to the fleet for the assault on Earth,"_ O'Neill said happily.

"_What type of firepower are we talking about?"_ Hammond asked.

"It's Ancient and Ptah could only **fly** the ship so he never fired the drones. That leaves us its **entire** stockpile to add to Earth's defense. Add to that the fact that we found the designs for the drones in the computers in the bunker here and things just started looking good for us."

"_You have the designs for the drones?"_ Landry asked, more than a little surprised.

"Yes, sir," Taylor replied with a smile.

"_Send them through immediately. We'll make as many as we can in the time we have left,"_ O'Neill ordered.

"Already done, sir."

"_The Ori will be in orbit of Earth in nine hours. You have eight-and-a-half hours to get everything of military value from Memphis and report back to Earth to stand in its defense. Godspeed, Taylor,"_ Hammond said before the line was cut.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_FGN Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center) [seven hours later]*

The ship that exited the forming hyperspace window was very long compared to its width, and unsymmetrical which clearly marked it as Ancient by design. As the _Aurora_-class Warship took up an orbit of the moon, the renewed interest in space brought on by the Ori's previous attack on Earth forcing their larger ships to stay back from orbit in an attempt to remain undetected least hell break loose on the surface during an orbital invasion, the _Nex_, currently cloaked in orbit of Earth using its nano-forge to complete the last of the tertiary satellites for Earth's PDS, scanned over she ship and Widget turned to Sam who was onboard helping Sieon finalize the designs for the system that would receive the DRBs.

"We're not doing another coaxial ion cannon," Sam argued.

"_Why not? They've proven effective and the _Aurora_-class is more than twice the size of the _O'Neill_-class. If the _Cursor_ can take out an Ori Mothership in a few shots with their coaxial ion cannon, than the _Aurora_-class, we really need a name for that ship by the way, will be even more powerful!"_ Widget shot back.

"First things first," Sam said, obviously ignoring Widget's argument, "We need to fix the radiation leaks, get its power generator up to full output, install a larger weapons compliment, and give it some more power."

As she listed these things off, she used the Furlings' version of a computer assisted drafting, more commonly called 'CAD,' program to make the suggested changes to a holographic rendering of the ship. Already the unnamed ship's power core was fixed, its engines restored, comms grid fully operational, and sensors upgraded. Next to be added were the four Neutrino Ion Generators that would bolster its power.

"_I've established a link to the ship's computers and let me be the first to say that the 'Alternate Realityinites,' who the hell came up with that name anyway?, did a good job getting the ship here in one piece. Also, I've found the Captain's log. The name of the ship is _Gaia_,"_ Widget informed her.

Sam looked at the AI with one eyebrow raised, then shrugged and went back to work. Considering that the '_Orion_' was actually named the '_Hippaforalkus_' at least the _Gaia_ didn't have a crazy name that no one could easily pronounce in the middle of a battle. Though Sam did find it odd that the ship was named for the spirit of Earth which was also the name of the Nox homeworld…

"What's the status of the ship?" Sieon asked.

"_Not good, but not as bad as McKay made it sound. Since we managed to make contact with _Atlantis_ and I got into their database, I've already sent myself the plans of the original _Aurora_-class. The design has a lot of potential, but Sugar Queen over here won't let me install the coaxial ion cannon."_

"Sugar Queen?" Sieon and Sam asked in unison; one in outrage, the other in confusion.

Sam shook her head then asked, "Are you aware of how the _Prometheus_ was destroyed?" When Sieon nodded, she continued. "We've seen weapons like that three times now, all of them far more powerful than anything else out there. The Ori punched through our shields with an orbital satellite weapon without taking them down first, and the _Atlantis _Expedition found a Lantean satellite weapon the size of a Ha'tak that cut a Hiveship **in half** with **one shot**. Most recently, _Atlantis_ was attacked by a sustained beam powered by a ZPM on the other side of a modified Stargate that managed to force them to flee the planet they were on. My point is, as the Asgard proved when they upgraded the _Odyssey_, beams are the most powerful weapon form out there. We need more beams."

"So you want to turn the _Gaia_ into a flying beam cannon," Sieon said with a smile on his face that left an unsettling feeling in Sam's stomach. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"I want to use his connection to the _Atlantis_ database to pull their designs for their satellites from the computers. If he can find the designs they used and install a weapon like that on the _Gaia_, we can give the Ori a real run for their money," Sam explained further, throwing a thumb over her shoulder to where Widget was standing.

"_And you're sure this can all be done in two hours?"_ Jack asked, his avatar shimmering into existence in the Combat Information Center as Widget accepted the incoming call.

"Using the _Nex_'s nano-forge, yes," Sieon assured him.

"_Why didn't we do this sooner then?"_ Jack pressed.

"Because the upgrades will be made entirely out of nano-cells. If the _Gaia_ gets hit by an AR wave like the weapon on Dakara or our own AR guns, the upgraded parts of the ship will fall apart and anyone on it will die when it does," Sam replied.

"_Oh…"_ Jack said with a wide-eyed look of shock.

"For the purpose of getting us another ship combat ready in the time we have before the Ori arrive, it works perfectly, but as a means of speeding up ship production, it would only end in disaster. That's why Pac's been looking into the energy-to-matter matter converters that the Asgard gave us. If we can pump enough power into those and feed them raw materials as they go, we could, conceivably, decrease production time by half. Instead of a year, we could build a 304 in six months or less if we had the proper setup," Sam explained.

"_Now, there's another matter that has to be settled,"_ Widget piped in. _"With Colonel McMillan present in the system, we have someone to operate the _Gaia_'s drones. We'll restock the ship with the stores the _Odyssey_, _Cursor_, and _Nex_ have been producing since the _Ares_ sent us the designs. If General Ervin went ahead and devoted the Holy Grail to producing the drones as ordered, then we can use those to restock the Artic Weapons Platform, and the Ancient Cruiser they'll be bringing with them is already fully stocked. That does, however, leave us in need of someone to pilot the _Gaia_ and the Ancient Cruiser. With the _Atlantis_ Expedition still further out than the Ori themselves, we'll have to rely on whoever we have on hand. General, you have the strongest gene on record, the most experience with the interface, and the rank to command a fleet. Therefore, you are the most logical first choice to pilot the _Gaia_ as Earth's flagship in the battle to come."_

"_Alright, let's get this done,"_ Jack said with a determined nod.

"_I'll start the upgrades now,"_ Widget said as the _Nex_ pulled out of orbit of Earth and decloaked once it was behind the moon with the _Gaia_. As the largest ship in the system pulled up alongside the second largest, a cannon-like barrel extended from the side of the ship near the bay the _Odyssey_ had been stored in all those weeks ago. From this barrel came a dark cloud. Like the personification of Death, the cloud covered the _Gaia_ and began to change it. As it did, a small ship dropped out of the _Gaia_'s hangar bay with all the current crew members onboard to prevent any accidents. _"Estimated time to completion is one hour, twenty minutes,"_ Widget informed them.

"We're cutting it close," Sam said worriedly.


	33. The Storm Part 5: When Extremes Meet

Chapter 32

The Storm Part 5

_When Extremes Meet_

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Landry's Office)*

Landry was taking Widget's crash course on Furling history and who the Demons were, and, so far, he didn't like what he was hearing. During the use of the _Nex_'s nano-forge, several upgrades had been made to both the SGC and Area 51 including a shield, defensive weapons, and holoprojectors throughout the complexes to allow the AIs to better interact with the personnel. As such, Pac's avatar was now 'sitting in a chair' across from Landry in the General's office glowing faintly but otherwise able to be mistaken as a normal person, especially since the AI had five fingers and appeared mostly Human as a result of being in Human computers. He even 'wore' Human apparel which was a strange notion in Landry's opinion, but Sieon kept saying that the more time Pac spent in Human computers, the more Human he'd become. Having been modified with a scan of Landry's mind didn't exactly help the AI think of itself as Furling either.

"_We're being hailed,"_ Walter's voice reported. _"It's _Atlantis_. I'm patching them through."_

As Landry got up to head down to the Control Room, a shimmer in the air was all the warning he got before Pac's avatar was joined by another. _"I'm back! Or, I should say, I'm reporting back from _Atlantis_. Sorry, I know it gets confusing,"_ the AI amended. Due to the nature of the computers this one inhabited, he wore the simple robes of the Lantean sect of Ancients and had a distinctive accent that Landry assumed was what a Lantean would sound like in the modern day had any of them lived this long.

"_Have you found the schematics yet?"_ O'Neill asked as a holographic version of him appeared beside the two AIs and Landry immediately knew that his own holographic image was being broadcast back to the Homeworld Command.

"_No, the plans were on a physical crystal that was removed from the Core and carried through the Gate into the Milky Way Galaxy during the evacuation of Pegasus. There's no telling where the ZPM designs are now,"_ _Atlantis_'s AI replied.

Jack was about to ask something else, but his words were lost on Landry when, without any warning, the ground shook like an earthquake and the General fell out of his chair as a result. The lights in the base flickered, and, as the ground shook again, although not as bad this time, Landry asked, "What the hell was that?"

Pac's avatar was franticly shifting colors as he received status reports from the _Apollo_, _Odyssey_, _Cursor_, and _Nex_ while simultaneously monitoring the SGC's sensors. _"Oh my god!"_ Pac exclaimed, his eyes going wide as his face twisted into a mask of horror. Looking Landry square in the eye, Pac said, _"The Ori jumped three ships directly into the atmosphere! The SGC and Area 51 are under attack, the third ship didn't jump all the way past the shield and was cut in half by the barrier, the wreckage is raining down on the greater Washington DC area, and, just to make matters worse, subspace radiation is flooding into the atmosphere. Stargate Command took a direct hit, but Cheyenne absorbed the bulk of the blow, our defenses are now online, and offensive weaponry is charging as we speak, but I still advise everyone to prepare for a ground assault as it's likely the Ori will try to take this base one way or another."_ Pac was broadcasting his report across the entire base as well as to Area 51, the Whitehouse, Homeworld Command, the other IOA nations, and the fleet in orbit, as per his orders. Because he was 'present,' the other AI in the room carried the report back to _Atlantis_ and the _Daedalus_ which were still en route.

Landry had just enough time to think to himself that that was the fastest action report he'd ever received as AIs had no need to stop to breathe which made the whole report roll together. The thought crosses his mind, then he was moving. "I want you to send a message to Sieon thanking that overly paranoid pain-in-the-ass for being so paranoid!" Landry said as he ran out of his office and headed towards the Control Room.

"_What risk does the subspace radiation pose to the environment?"_ O'Neill asked the AI over the comms channel that was still active in Landry's earpiece.

"_It's an exotic form of radiation from another dimension,"_ Pac replied. _"The threat it poses to organic life is absolute. We need to…"_

The rest of his explanation was cut off as Landry hit the metal spiral staircase and took them three at a time in a rush to get to where he was needed, the AI's words lost in his own rush. As he ran, more impacts rocked the halls and Landry thought back to Sieon's most recent changes to their defenses. Late last night, Sieon had decided to use Pac's ideas to upgrade the SGC in the time they had left before the Ori showed up. Using some of Carter's new batteries from the Dyson Structure and a few Neutrino Ion Generators, the SGC had been given a shield and several ion cannon batteries for defense of the mountain complex. The Control Room had also been decked out in holographic terminals to better interface the new control systems with the existing ones.

"General," Walter said as Landry ran into the room behind him. "One of the FSRs in the planetary defense shield has already been put into overdrive mode."

"So soon?" Landry asked, clearly worried.

"_When the third ship jumped half-way through the shield, it not only destroyed several of the tertiary shield emitter satellites and two of the secondaries, it also put a massive strain on the barrier. Colonel Carter had to put the first generator into overdrive mode to hold back the sheer amount of firepower raining down on the weakened part of the barrier. I'm adjusting the orbital telemetry of the remaining satellites to cover the weakened section and reinforce the more heavily strained areas. Once the shield's power levels are stabilized, we can take the generator out of overdrive mode and flash-cool it,"_ Pac replied, his avatar standing next to Walter.

"You can do that?" Siler asked.

"_The tertiary shield emitter satellites were designed to be moveable in case anything like this ever happened,"_ Pac explained as the holographic display that solely represented the planetary defense network shifted, the satellites, represented by small dots, actively moving around and the barrier shifting from flashing red back to a less potent shade of orange.

"The fleet's falling back into orbit, anti-fighter formation," Walter reported as their ground-based sensors detected the ships in orbit launching a massive swarm of fighters. "No help's coming, sir. We have to hold them off ourselves."

"Looks like we're about to disclose the Stargate Program. Bring our cannons online and return fire," Landry ordered.

"_Opening weapon hatches now,"_ Pac's voice announced as the AI's avatar finally appeared in the Control Room. _"Acquiring target lock… firing."_

Sieon had, upon General O'Neill's request, installed a special terminal that showed exactly what Pac was doing twenty-four-seven. If one were to watch this screen now, they would see a schematic of the SGC enclosed in Cheyenne, the base outlined a different color than the rock of the mountain that encased it. As the AI rattled off his action report, Landry could see the hologram shift to show the massive external doors opening. The SGC's ion cannons eased their way out of fourteen of the fifteen openings, the last hatch being an air strip for 302s to be launched from the base's new underground airfield.

"Only twelve of the guns came online," Landry observed.

"_Cannon Two's power conduit was hit in the Ori's opening salvo, and Cannon Ten's hatch was cut through by the blast itself and was outright destroyed as a result,"_ Pac replied, highlighting the indicated areas of the base that had been damaged in red. The large chunk of rock now shown to be missing from the mountainside was a rather disturbing sight in Landry's opinion, but the shield now deployed around the mountain made him feel a lot better about their chances of surviving considering that a mountain is literally the perfect immobile target to just sit there and shoot at.

"Hostile fighters inbound. All ground teams prepare for anti-raiding parties. I repeat, the Ori have landed several ring platforms outside of the shield envelope. We've got inbound hostile ground forces!" Walter said into the internal comms.

The base's activity level instantly skyrocketed as the Airmen armed themselves and made for their posts with all the haste in the world as the great blast door outside of the mountain swung closed. So great was the sound of full-body metal armor and heavy boots clunking on the ground and echoing beneath the stone that it drowned out the alarms as the men and women assigned to the SGC rushed to their stations.

*Colorado (Campsite)*

Oscar had decided to take his family camping in the crisp, Colorado air to help bring them closer together. Times had been hard recently, everyone was at each other's throats, and the father found himself looking at his family as it fell apart from the internal stresses caused by the lack of money, the job searches, and the infighting all this created. Their vacation had lasted three days so far and was doing wonders for their attitudes. Already his kids were getting along better and treating their mother with more respect.

What Oscar hadn't anticipated, however, was the majestic form of Cheyenne Mountain to be attacked by a clearly alien spaceship. Actually, what really surprised him about the situation was that the mountain was protected by what **had** to be an energy shield. Even more stunning then that were the giant guns coming out of the mountainside like some cheap Sci-Fi movie. First the rock separated from the mountain and moved aside, obviously a mechanical door designed to hide the weapon beneath. Then metal slots behind the rock that protected the weapons from damage opened, massive cannons slipping out of the doors. As the cannons that were each easily forty meters long eased out of the rock, the barrels extended with an audible whirr to double their length as the big guns pointed towards the hostile ship.

There was a flash of silver-white light as one of the barrels recoiled so hard it almost completely retracted back into its casing. A split second later a ground-rumbling boom echoed through the mountain range and the ground shook as the first weapon fired followed by a full volley form the others. The trees closest to one of these cannons were uprooted and sent tumbling away like a branch in a hurricane by the force of the shockwave resulting from its firing. As strange as it all was, and as hard as it was to believe, his family vacation had become a front-row seat to a duel between a **mountain** and an **alien** **spaceship**!

"OSCAR!" his wife shouted in panic and fear.

Forcing himself to take his eyes off of the battle before him and follow his wife's line of sight, Oscar watched as a swarm of strange looking, though obviously Human, fighters thundered out of the mountain to intercept fighters launching from the alien ship. Then one of the alien ships flew over their campsite, one of the Human-built fighters hot on its tail. The shockwave and heat of their passing knocked over their tents and blew dirt into the air.

"DAD!" his daughter shouted, her finger pointing at a spot where the grass was turning brown and dying as the trees shed their leaves and did the same.

"GET back to the truck!" Oscar shouted as his family scrambled to get to their four-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicle.

The moment all the doors were all closed, the truck roared to life and Oscar put the petal to the metal, their camping equipment forgotten in their rush to stay ahead of the wave of radiation, though they didn't know it was radiation and wouldn't for a few days, that was killing everything in the area. A few weeks from now, when all was said and done, they would learn that the radiation had killed everything in a two mile radius of the mountain and that their lives were measured in months.

Radiation moves at the speed of light. Their jeep only went one-hundred-twenty miles per hour on flat terrain. There was no outrunning that wave.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_FGN Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center)*

The _Nex_ shifted in space to bring her plasma flak cannons to bear once more, the protostars secured in her hull expanding within their containment cells and the plasma harvesters quickly consuming the extra mass. The stars, despite being allowed to expand, were only doing so slightly since the plasma flak cannons required three times the amount of plasma to operate than the pulse cannons did. As the forty-seven Motherships in orbit launched their fighters, Earth's defense fleet launched their own, the F-302s retreating further back towards orbit as the capital ships moved to engage the enemy Motherships.

The _Daedalus_ and _Apollo_ aligned themselves with the _Nex_'s bow and stern, the distance between them designed to optimize their field of coverage. To the _Nex_'s starboard side, which was pointing 'up' in relevance to the planet 'below,' the _Cursor_ and _Ares_ positioned themselves while the _Gaia_ took up position 'below' the _Nex_ running parallel to her z-axis and lining up her broadside. Thusly prepared, the forces of Earth waited.

This time, despite their increased numbers, the Ori fighters wouldn't stand a chance at getting past them. As the swarm approached in force, the newly upgraded fleet let loose. The _Nex_ began their counter assault by pumping space full of golden explosions and the rest followed by sweeping away fighters by the hundreds with their Asgard-designed anti-fighter weapons. Whatever those things did to the fighters, Sieon still wasn't sure, but damn if they weren't the most effective anti-fighter screen he'd ever seen!

The Swarm died in sweeps of white light not even thirty seconds after the fight began, but the Ori were not stupid. The fighters at the rear of the Swarm split off and went wide forcing the Earth ships to move in accordance, but this opened gaps in their AI-operated network of anti-fighter weapons. Using this to their advantage, the Ori slipped past the defense fleet and sent over three-hundred fighters headed for Earth. Once again, they were left to try and get past the PDS, but this time they already knew which IFFs to use… or so they thought.

The VI left to run the PDS had already changed the composition of the barrier and narrowed it down so that only one IFF would allow you to pass through the barrier before the battle began, so the only fighters that made it through were those that passed through with the Motherships attacking the Ori's ground targets, and those were matched by the number of 302s the _Ares_ had carried into the system in its bays then outnumbered by the remaining fighters the rest of the fleet carried. The first stage of the battle, the anti-fighter round, was won, but now the capital ship round was beginning.

And more Motherships were dropping out of hyperspace.

**Earth (Surface)**

*Area 51 (Geothermal Power Slip)*

As the shield around the base flared brightly with each impact of the beam, and shimmered constantly under the barrage of lesser weapons fire, Sam pulled more of the geothermal energy going into the PDS and pumped it into their own shield. As she did, Pac, who was the AI for Area 51, the SGC, and Homeworld Command, managed to get three of their ion cannons operational. The three cannons, not completed by a half, lifted their barrels to the sky and returned fire with thunderous booms of their own. Well, two of them did. The third one exploded as the first round left its firing chamber, the systems not ready to be used causing the generator to meltdown. Thankfully all it did was explode instead of going nuclear. Even then, the two cannons that were still firing were far from enough to challenge an Ori Mothership and the cannons weren't going to last long considering they weren't finished yet. Pac would have to make sure that, when they blew up, they didn't go nuclear either.

Sam was busy redistributing power throughout the base to lessen their dependency on the planetary defense shield's primary source of power when a beep on the sensors console caught her attention. Looking up, she was surprised to see another ship headed right for them in a nosedive through the atmosphere that had the ship streaking across the high-noon sky like a shooting star. Then she realized the design and turned to look up. The roof over their heads had been left retracted to allow the massive amounts of heat coming from the geothermal tunnel that went straight down to the Mantel a more efficient way to be dispersed. Even with the room where the operation of the generators were controlled shielded and cooled by powerful systems, the heat was still stifling. At least it didn't dry out the air and leave the operators too hot to work the systems properly. They'd have to upgrade the geothermal plant later. Now simply wasn't the time.

With the roof open as it was, when she looked up, Sam could see the Mothership over them firing beams back towards the comparatively small structure on the surface of the Earth that hid the true size of the base built beneath the sands of the Nevada desert. The focus of their smaller weapons was the base itself, but the beams? Those were targeting the geothermal slip specifically. Clearly the Ori understood what the facility was used for and were not about to leave it operational if they could help it. As she looked up through the retracted doors, the heat hitting her in full force since she was standing in the slip as opposed to the control booth, Sam could see a column of orange lights descending from the skies above them; a column of light she knew well. The column split into tendrils and those tendrils began cutting through the Ori fighters with ease before curving back up and slamming into the shield of the Ori Mothership from beneath the two ships now above the base.

"Damn it!" Sam cursed as the drones failed to bypass the powerful shields used by the Ori.

Her attitude changed when one of the drones slipped past the shield that was far from collapsing and hit the Mothership square in the main weapon's dish. Breaking off its attack of Area 51, the Mothership turned to face the ship that was still dropping from the skies above them as more drones slipped through the tiny micro-fissures in the Ori shields that only Sieon, with his Furling eyes, and, apparently, Ancient drones could detect. The next three drones to slip through the shield envelope targeted the reactor core and Sam's eyes went wide.

"**PAC**!" Sam shouted and the AI did what she was about to order before she could finish saying it.

The assembled crowd standing outside of the base's fenced-off area watching the spectacle were outside of the base's shield, but well within the blast radius of a Mothership's reactor core going critical. In a flash of light they were whisked away as the reactor on the ship above them lost much needed stability in its output and the Ori Mothership exploded in a blinding flash of light, an intense wave of heat, immense concussive force, and yet another cloud of exotic radiation. All around the base, sand turned to glass as it was flash-backed by the heat, shrubs shriveled up and died as radiation flooded their DNA, and anything standing outside of the shield envelope was flattened as a sandstorm was spawned by the concussive blast.

Above the self-destructing Mothership, the Ancient Cruiser that would've been Ptah's flagship broke off its rapid decent, its shield aflame with the heat of reentry, and pulled up hard. The ship, being piloted by a small team of specialists who had been given the ATA gene therapy only a few hours ago, made for orbit at full speed to rejoin the fight as the _Ares_ descended behind them at a far more reasonable pace. The Invasion Carrier would be nearly useless against the Ori fleet now that the fighters had been handled, and no one was willing to risk the ship's destruction against an obviously superior force.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_Gaia_ (Combat Information Center)*

Holding a single defensive formation against the Ori when they were mobilizing in such force would've been impossible, so, instead, they had broken the fleet into battle groups at Sieon's suggestion. The _Gaia_ advanced towards the enemy, her shields shrugging off beam after beam, while the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ flanked her on either side, and Colonel McMillan's ship flew along with them just above the CIC of the _Gaia_ under the power of her cloak ready to beam the crew out if the ship was lost seeing as how beaming tech was somehow overlooked when the ship was upgraded by the _Nex_'s nano-forge. Behind them, the _Nex_, _Cursor_, and the _South Park_ stood between the split Ori advance and Earth.

"Is everything ready?" Jack asked as he sat in the Control Chair and told the ship to move forward.

"_As ready as it can be,"_ Walter replied from his place in the Weapons Chair.

"Then let's kick these bastards out of **our** system!" Jack ordered venomously. "Unchain the wolves!"

At his command, the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_, which had been coasting through space to keep level with the _Gaia_, punched their engines and shot forward. Their engines carried them into the mass of ships descending down on their planet and Walter fired their own weapons. Linked to his mind through the network the chairs created, Jack shared in the experience. The buildup of power in the ship's conduits sent a rush of adrenaline through his veins. The firing of the beams gave him the excitement of the kill, and the engines pushing ever forward was the thrill of the chase. It was a high like no other to be so in-tune with the weapons of a ship that could, and just did, fire thirty-six standard plasma beam cannons as the Grodin, so named for the man who died firing the original in _Atlantis_' defense, hummed to life.

The sleek form of the _Gaia_ lit up on her every flank as the blue beams lanced out in every direction but to her rear where there were no enemies to target. The weapons slammed into and depleted the shields of four Motherships before Walter sent drones into the nerve center and power cores of the hostile ships. As those four died in a single volley, the _Gaia_ finished proving itself as lethal as the _Nex_ by firing the Grodin. The beam of green energy slammed full-on into the forward shield of the Ori Mothership advancing on the _Gaia_'s bow. As it did, the Mothership's forward momentum was halted entirely for the two seconds it took for the beam to collapse the barrier. Passing through the armor as if it wasn't even there, a plasma-coated blade cutting through pre-melted butter, the beam shot out the other end of the Mothership and hit the one behind it in its port side.

The beam held for eight more seconds, cutting through another Mothership and collapsing the shields of a third that survived only because the capacitor had been depleted, and O'Neill was left speechless. Seven Motherships outright destroyed in their opening volley, and their shields were still at eighty percent to boot.

"Damn," Jack said, his voice barely audible in the absolute silence that had consumed the CIC, and indeed the ship as a whole.

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

Donnelly had been too focused on the battle to notice. Marks was too busy piloting them through a densely packed formation at a high rate of speed. Davidson was too busy giving orders. Melissa, however… she saw what the _Gaia_ had done, and she was practically bouncing off the walls. In the privacy of her mind, of course. There was a time and place for celebrations and the Bridge of a Battlecruiser in the middle of an intergalactic invasion of one's homeworld was neither.

"Watch your three o'clock," Melissa warned from her place at the back of the Bridge. Marks pulled hard on the controls and the _Odyssey_ narrowly avoided a collision with a Mothership that was actively trying to ram them. The Ori probably thought they'd survive the collision, and were probably right, but the fact that they were treating suicide runs against the smallest ships in the system as a valid battle tactic was telling… and useful.

"New orders from General O'Neill," Isis announced over the sounds of combat. "We're to get their shields down and the _Gaia_ will use their drones to finish them off."

"That simplifies things," Davidson mused as he strapped himself into his chair. As he did, anyone else who could, did. Good thing too.

As another ramming attempt saw two Motherships closing in on the small ship, Marks threw the accelerator past the redline, took them beyond their safe top speed, then pulled back on the controls **hard**. The inertial energies of the maneuver overpowered the inertial dampeners enough that the superstructure of the ship groaned in protest at the abuse it was being put under. Odysseus amped up the power to the external inertial dampeners to take the stress off the hull, but had to reduce the strength of the internal dampeners to get the proper power levels without sacrificing their much needed weapons, shields, and engines.

As they pulled out of the turn, the familiar sensation of an elevator coming to halt was all they felt as the borrowed power was redistributed to its original system. As the hull no longer needed the extra reinforcement and the crew did, the AI redirected his stolen power back to its proper system at the speed of computerized thought. In short, having an AI to run those systems was a major boon!

*_South Park_ (Combat Information Center)*

The _South Park_ and the _Cursor_ had stayed in orbit to help the _Nex_ defend the planet from the large force now taking up positions around the planet. The _South Park_ was, in its CO's opinion, a fine ship. That having been said, Kyle had some issues with its name. When he and his fellow specialists were assigned to the ship, it had been a joke that **Kyle** Arthur, **Stan** Dots, **Kenny** Erikson, and Jimmy **Cartman** were all on the same ship. Since that ship needed a pronounceable name, one that wasn't _Gralfa Zalki T'Pequen_ (whatever the hell that was supposed to mean), General O'Neill had dubbed it the _USS Colorado_, but everyone else had started calling it the _South Park_. Pointing out which name stuck is, by now, pointless. O'Neill had promised to change the name in an official capacity 'when circumstances were less demanding.'

Kyle just hoped they lived to see that day.

They had twenty Motherships bearing down on them, and the _Nex_ was facing off against another seventeen that had moved to destroy the ship the Ori deemed the most lethal to their crusade. O'Neill had already proven their assumption that the _Nex_ was the deadliest ship in the system wrong by firing the _Gaia_'s entire weapons grid in one salvo. That had gotten another thirty ships swarming the Lantean Warship in addition to the ones that were largely ignoring the _Apollo_ and _Odyssey_ in their attempts to destroy the flying beam cannon. And, just because that wasn't enough, the Ori were still dropping reinforcements out of hyperspace, which meant that they were **not** facing off against fifty Motherships. That initial number was depressing enough without the added reinforcements flooding the system. At least they weren't filling space with fighters anymore, but that was probably because they wanted to take orbit before losing them all to the White Light.

On the surface below them, once their defenses had won out, Stargate Command had turned its weapons orbit-ward. The _Ares_' surface-to-orbit cannons and Cheyenne's own ion cannons were firing globs of ionic energy at anything daring enough to enter range of their extreme-ranged weapons. The _Ares_ had even taken to flying around under the PDS keeping the Ori from settling into one place for too long. This battle, short as it was currently, had already made it clear that they'd have to install more surface-to-orbit weapons when they had the time.

Kyle, once again, just hoped they lived to see that day.

The Ori had employed a new tactic in this battle. Not only were they sticking to their attempts to get past the PDS to lay waste to the very thing that gave the brave men and women in orbit the will to fight and sticking to their attempts to destroy the more powerful ships in an effort to lessen Earth's defenses, but they were also preventing the Earth fleet from forming any kind of defensive formation. The Ori had pushed their way between the Earth ships and left the _Cursor_, _Nex_, and _South Park_ separated from one another. Then the Ori had surrounded the three ships and taken to simply hammering away at them. They were supposed to be a battle group, not three ships separated from one another and surrounded on all sides! This was, needless to say, very, **very** bad.

Surrounded as they were, it was only a matter of time before their shields failed and there was no way for them to slip past the Ori to escape their encirclement. Sitting in the chair at the station that controlled the weapons, because the _South Park_ didn't have a Weapons Chair, Cartman shifted the focus of their own weapons with the power of thought. Drones stopped targeting the Motherships and started targeting their weapons fire. The small globs of silver energy fired from the Ori's pulse cannons were intercepted by single drones before they could hit the _South Park_'s shields while golden beams were intercepted by entire swarms of drones. As one of the most powerful offensive weapons in the galaxy was used as a means of defense, their beam cannons, which were actively being installed across the ship by a team of repair drones from the _Nex_ and a few technicians from Earth, powered up for the first time and let loose.

As the beams stripped away shields, three drones in a cluster would target the Bridge, power core, and engineering deck of the enemy ship. Using this strategy, the Motherships were taken down one by one until only one was left. As the enemy fell and the drones weren't needed as a defense, they shifted back to offense. When the drones rejoined the assault, the Mothership was torn apart by a ship not much smaller than its inspiring bulk. After all, the so-called Ancient 'Cruiser' measured in at a full kilometer long. A third of the size of the _Gaia_, the _South Park_ was still roughly four-times larger than the Earth-built 304s, and they had taken on five Ori Motherships with an incomplete, underpowered ship that was being upgraded in the middle of the battle… and they had won.

That said a lot about the Ori's inability to wage war and adapt on the spot, the Ancients ability to build a ship, and the Tau'ri's own skill in warfare.

"Goddamn it, Cartman," Stan said with a shake of his head.

"What?" Cartman asked in a tone of sweetly false innocence.

"You're an asshole," Kenny replied as he piloted the ship towards where the _Cursor_ was surrounded and losing its shields faster than they were defeating the enemy.

*_Clausus Cursor_ (Combat Information Center)*

For the second time in the battle for Earth, the _Cursor_ was surrounded, outgunned, and losing fast. Twelve Ori Motherships had begun the assault on the _Cursor_. Only seven remained and the Ori had learned the hard way to stay out from in front of the ship where her coaxial ion cannons could, and so effectively did, wreak havoc. The Ori focused their joint fire on the _Cursor_ and the Asgard vessel's shields failed. Three more beams moved to hit the ship, and the _South Park_, darting into the battle from its own victory, tried to intercept them, but the other ship's own shield could only take one more hit before they were also on the verge of failing.

Time slowed in the eyes of Admiral Ricks as the _Cursor_ shuddered under the power of the lesser weapons striking her powerful armor, some blasts leaving dents in the thick hull, others managing to blast parts of the armor away, but the beams would be certain death. The _Cursor_ tried to run, but no amount of speed the massive Asgard vessel had would be enough. Much like the ship's namesake, the _O'Neill_-class simply wasn't designed to turn and run.

Admiral Ricks was in the process of ordering the crew to be beamed out when fifteen thinner beams of energy intercepted the larger one a few dozen meters from its impact with the hull. These beams were thin, blue, and coming from the dark void of space where nothing existed. Then their source shimmered back into the visual realm and a Ha'tak, of all things, appeared in orbit of Earth between the _Cursor_ and Death itself. The beams it fired ate away at the energy of the closer of the two Ori beams, the two weapons systems fighting for dominance. In the end, the Ori won.

"Get us out of here!" the Admiral ordered desperately and no one argued.

The heavily depleted beam of now-only-lethal-as-opposed-to-hyper-lethal energy struck the Ha'tak and blew a section of its black structure off of the ship. Then the energy field that had been used to cloak the ship was reverted back into a shield and the next beam hit the barrier harmlessly. Another beam followed that one, followed by another, and another. After only ten hits, the barrier failed and the ship was consumed in a ball of fire by the eleventh shot. In the time the intervention of the Ha'tak bought them, the crew of the _Cursor_ limped the damaged Warship nearly back into orbit of Earth, but not quite fast enough.

The last beam the Ori fired at the departing Asgard Warship struck the rear of the ship where most space vessels would have their engines. One of the vertical spires jutting from the hull was blown off by the blast as the _Cursor_ slipped below the PDS and narrowly avoided another beam aimed at her compromised rear flank.

As members of the CIC crew shouted out damage reports and worked to keep the ship functioning well enough to not plummet into Earth's gravity well, Admiral Ricks heard what he wanted to hear. "The damage from the beam was contained to a non-vital area of the ship; no loss of life."

Only then did the Admiral let his lungs start breathing again.

"Get the shields back up. They need us in orbit…" Ricks began to order.

"Sir," his helmsman interrupted, "we've got reinforcements arriving in system broadcasting friendly IFFs."

"Who the hell is that stupid?" the Admiral asked, his tone full of utter shock. Sure he'd seen the Ha'tak, but only the Asgard could stand against the Ori and they were gone.

*_Relentless Carnage_ (Combat Information Center)*

Their ships were built for speed, yes, but not speed in hyperspace. Their hyperdrives were designed specifically to handle being used for a series of short bursts. This gave the SRs their lethal ability to jump past the shields of their enemies, and an Ori Mothership had plenty of room in its shield envelope thanks the rather impractical design of the things. As such, the _Carnage_ dropped out of hyperspace in orbit of the moon after the battle had already begun and was in full swing. After taking in the situation, they acted accordingly.

The _Carnage_ reentered hyperspace and exited back into normal space within the shield envelope of a Mothership where the large, glowing orb of light backed into the massive gap in the ship where the hull extended out to the sublight engines. Her particle cannons fired in tandem, four beams digging into the armor of her target and breaching the reactor core in a matter of seconds. Another jump into hyperspace and she was in another Mothership's shield bubble even as the first one was still exploding. This time they were flying up the 'face' of the Mothership.

A strafing run across that face with her plasma bombs against the area they knew the Bridge to be in left the next ship crippled and dead in space until a coaxial ion cannon round shattered something important and left the ship dying from secondary explosions. Another jump into hyperspace and this time their recently upgraded main gun tore a gaping hole in the area where the life-support system of the Motherships should be. Instead, the round hit something more important and a series of secondary explosions left the ship floating in pieces. One last burst of energy and the ship was flying in normal space under cloak as her hyperdrive cooled down. Behind her, three Ori Motherships either exploded or burnt as their systems were destroyed by surgical strikes.

This feat was duplicated by the other ships of her class, the _Relentless Annoyance_ joining them as it broke off from its guardian post of the _Gaia_ to do something that was actually useful. One run against the enemy and already the Zeta Fleet had claimed fifteen kills, though they had also lost one of their ships. Still, better to have the _Cursor_ than to have the _Savage Annihilation_. Only one of those two was actually crewed by living beings.

"Time?" Oliver shouted to the CIC.

"Two minutes!" Gabi yelled back from her place manning the diagnostics station.

"Start the clock," Oliver ordered.

Two minutes.

That's how long they had to wait before their hyperdrive would come back online. Two minutes of watching a battle take place in orbit of Earth against the Ori. Two minutes of being helpless to do anything productive. Two minutes for everyone to go insane watching their friends die. Two minutes to…

His train of thought was broken as his eyes widened in horror at the sight before him. Another Ori Mothership had jumped into Earth's atmosphere, and the _Ares_ wouldn't reach it before the ship attacked a city.

Neither would they.

**Earth (Surface)**

*Russia (Нижневартовск)*

Time is relative.

Sergey Tretyakov never did understand that saying. Then he found himself falling while remaining still. He looked around himself as he fell. He took in the misshapen object floating in the skies above his city. He watched as balls of silver light impacted buildings that had stood for decades and toppled history without regard for the lives within. He watched as a ship from another world fired on his city, killing hundreds if not more.

Time is relative.

He had all of eternity to watch his city burn. All of eternity to see those flames cross a woman's body. All of forever to watch another ball of light impact the base of a building and cause the whole building to collapse. He even had forever to watch as the skies became red with rage. As blood pooled on the ground beneath him where he would, at the end of eternity, land, the skies darkened, reddened, then lit on fire. As the attacking ship descended, glowing orbs of red-orange fire rained down on it from above.

Time is relative.

Sergey watched as those balls of light slammed into the ground beneath the attacking ship when they missed their target. Then he joined them. Eternity, for him, was over. It ended with an impact as his fall from twenty stories ended both suddenly and with force. The only good thought to cross his mind was that his death, while frightening, would be less painful than the woman who was on fire.

* * *

><p>Sitting in the pilot's seat of the tiny Stealth Frigate, Derek took the ship into a dive that had its shield burning and its wings bowing under the g-forces of their acceleration into Earth's gravity well. As much as he'd like to think he was above such, in his opinion, petty believes as loyalty to one country when a planet was being invaded, seeing an Ori Mothership attacking his home-nation was something he wouldn't stand for. The only reason he wouldn't be tried for insubordination for taking a ship without orders was because he did this with orders backing his actions.<p>

The five ships that could all fit inside of the same hangar bay of a 304 fired off a barrage of plasma bombs to get the ship that was below them to break off its attack. As the Mothership turned away from the city it had been firing on to focus on them, the SRs pulled out of their dives and scattered as the Mothership turned its main gun on them. They were at a disadvantage here because their hyperdrives were still offline, but they wouldn't turn and run.

Two-hundred-fifty-one-thousand, six-hundred-ninety-four.

That's how many people lived in the city the Mothership had fired on.

Mistaking a nearby passenger liner for a bomber or a larger fighter, the alien ship fired a ball of energy from its weapons system and half of the 747 was consumed in the resulting explosion. The rest of the plane carrying innocent people simply fell out of the sky to burn on the ground below only a few miles from the burning city. Something in those physical fires started a philosophical fire in the hearts and minds of the Russian fighter wing engaging the bastards who had the audacity to so callously murder innocent people. A few weeks from now, when Earth was rallying together in the aftermath of this battle, the Tragedy of Flight Two-Ten would be used to light similar fires in souls across the planet.

If the dogfight between the Russian Air Force and the Ori fighters was an even match before, it was now a vicious, rage-fueled slaughter as the Russian fighters formed into groups and attacked one Ori fighter with a single-minded savagery unbecoming a sentient species. There was a lot to be said about mob mentality amongst trained killers.

Dodging another beam, Derek started to quietly pray. "Come on. Come on!"

"Tone and lock!" Gigi announced, her tones just as tight as his. Derek didn't waste time noting her mood. He just pulled the trigger.

The snow that fell in a flurry around them never breached the plasma shields that burned hot enough to evaporate metal slugs before they could touch the hull beneath. It did, however feel the effects of their guns. When the coaxial ion cannon fired, the blast of kinetic energy that spread out from the nozzle of the cannon as a sphere of concussive force blew the snow away with all the force of a coaxial mounted gun. As the hyperaccelerated ion round flew through the atmosphere, the atmospheric drag burned away thirty percent of its kinetic energy, the snow effectively forming a tunnel around its passage as the ion round flew at damn-near superluminal speeds, and when that round impacted the Mothership's shield, another shockwave expanded out from the impact site and sent another ripple through the air that sent the snow into a flurry.

With five of these weapons going off at once in such a close proximity to one another, the simple snow storm falling over the city became an instant blizzard of unnatural winds swirling the snow through the air with tremendous force. The Mothership, knowing it was under attack by more than just flies buzzing around it, turned to face this new threat completely instead of the pot shots it was taking until now. As it did, twenty particle beams slammed into the broadside of the Mothership as it maneuvered around to face them. They knew it wouldn't be enough to beat an Ori Mothership, but their intent was to buy time, not to claim the glory of the kill, so the small ships scattered in every direction but down when the Ori returned fire again.

The golden beam of Death Incarnate was easily dodged, but the massed fire of their lesser weapons systems wasn't so easy to avoid. Their shields would hold against that lesser threat, yes, but not against the beam. Only the _Savage Annihilation_ had enough power flowing through its veins to survive a hit from that weapon, and it was gone now.

As the SRs closed on the Mothership for the third time, they regrouped into their formation and lined up for a second bombing run. As they passed over the top of the ship, plasma bombs rained down in force, golden balls of lethal plasma harmlessly splashing across shields that could hold back an armada of Ha'tak. Without their hyperdrives, the SRs were significantly less effective against an enemy as powerful as the Ori.

But there were ways around that.

Their bombing run ended as the five ship flew past the Ori at speeds that would make a 302 pilot jealous before they scattered again, each one pulling into a different arch to line up for another attack. This time it was an attack from five directions and coordination was everything. Four of the SRs spiraled out and circled back while the _Destruction_ flew up and flipped. The other four fired their particle beams at whatever part of the ship they were lined up with, but the _Destruction_'s job was different.

With its charge preceded by a pair of missiles, the _Destruction_ dove back towards the Mothership. As it did, the two, Furling-designed dark matter bombs detonated against the powerful shield of the Ori. With all the power of a micro singularity spawned in an instant, the field of reality warping energy pushed, pulled, tore, and stressed the Ori's shields in a localized field. As it did, the energy started to bleed through and parts of the hull were torn off by the rapidly shifting gravity field. That was his cue. Firing all four particle cannons at a single point, Derek used the combined might of the distortion in reality and the particle cannons to open a rift in the Ori Mothership's shield.

A rift he flew their ship through.

The retro-thrusters fired in full force to slow the ship's rapid speed, and the _Destruction_ managed to level out in time to prevent a collision with the far side of the Ori's still active shield. Now they were where the SR was at its most lethal; inside the 'impenetrable' defenses of their enemy. The first thing to go was the main weapon's dish. A barrage of plasma bombs took out the Ori's most lethal weapon, and, just out of spite, the Ori refocused the full force of their small-arms weapons against the city below while sending their entire remaining fighter force into their own shield envelope to attack the _Relentless Destruction_ which was living up to its name.

The Slaughter of Нижневартовск would be a rallying cry for years to come.

The center of the city where the towers were the tallest was hit the hardest by the barrage of weapons fire as the four ships still outside of the shield bubble moved into position to take the blows on their shields. Their efforts stopped a measly twenty-eight percent of the weapons fire from reaching the city, but the percentage that did get through… there was a reason it would be called the Slaughter of Нижневартовск.

* * *

><p>This time, when the snow swirled under the force of weapons fire, it was the <em>Ares<em>' surface-to-orbit ion cannons that tore into the broadside of the Mothership. Approaching under the power of massive engines capable of taking the large, though still half the size of the alien Mothership, Invasion Carrier into orbit and beyond, the _Ares_ readied its weapons. Flying low so that the cannons could, as they were designed to, aim up at the enemy, the _Ares_ opened fire on the Mothership attacking Нижневартовск and the Mothership broke off its assault on the city and the now severely depleted shields of the ships in the Impolan Fleet to engage the larger threat.

"Get that **thing** off of my planet!" General Ervin roared in utter outrage as they approached the Mothership.

His only reply to that demand was a shift in their flight path. Apparently he wasn't the only one pissed the fuck off.

The navigational officer altered their course and took them into a climb that took the _Ares_ up and over the Mothership as one of the Impolan ships inside of the Mothership's shield fired its weapons array into the fighters swarming the small ship. The Ori gave chase as the _Ares_ rose, the Mothership rising to check the _Ares_' flanking maneuver thusly forcing the Impolan ship to keep up or get crushed by the still-active shield bubble, and the _Ares_ climbed higher still to get above the larger Mothership.

Once they were high enough, the navigational officer turned them towards the tundra and the Mothership followed her, that unfortunate Impolan ship still trapped in the shields of the enemy ship and unable to attack through the fighters swarming it.

As the navigational officer turned the _Ares_ to face their foe, the tactical officer armed their planetary assault weapon and fired. To the people of Нижневартовск, it was a blinding flash of blue-white light that struck down the hostile Mothership. To the crew of the _Ares_, it was revenge for the fallen, but it wasn't enough to sate that fire in their souls.

The beam slammed into and caused the shield of the enemy vessel to glow under the strain and the Impolan ship, wisely, used the strain on the shields to blast its way out of the envelope. When that white barrier gave out, the blue beam cut through the armor of the Mothership like scissors through tissue paper. The enemy ship went down in flames, its propulsion systems fried and power failing as the primary power conduits were severed by the searing hot beam. Hitting the reactor this close to an inhabited city was too risky, so the power lines themselves were targeted instead. Otherwise, the explosion would have probably leveled Нижневартовск and killed the rest of her populace.

"Taylor, load up as many medical-trained people you have and get down there! Use the Pelicans and Vultures to transport the wounded. I'm leaving you the 302s. Secure that city and get those people help," Ervin ordered, his tones and throat tight enough to make it feel like he was choking.

"_ETA: one minute,"_ Taylor replied in a similar tone as the _Ares_ moved through the atmosphere to target another Mothership. On her sides, the hangar bays opened and Pelicans swarmed out of the ship, Vultures behind them and 302s flying patrols above them, and moved to begin evacuating wounded civilians out of a burning city.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_Atlantis_ (Balcony Overlooking City)*

'_Finally!'_ Weir thought to herself as the city dropped out of hyperspace in orbit of Earth. Then she caught sight of her home system, and, as she stood there, shocked into silence, mouth agape, she took in the battle thus far.

The _Cursor_, a mighty ship when the Asgard had built her then upgraded beyond that, was cowering in the atmosphere of Earth, her hull torn asunder, leaking atmosphere, chunks of the ship left drifting in orbit, one of the large pillar-like pieces to the ship missing, and at least three areas that were actively **burning** as the ship hovered in the skies of Earth, the fire fueled by both the ship's life-support system and Earth's own atmosphere. The _Gaia_, feared by the Wraith for damned good reasons, upgraded into something frightening even to Weir as she stood inside of a shield that was powered by **three ZPMs**, surrounded and under fire, her shield on the verge of collapse. The _Nex_, which was reported to be the most lethal ship the people of Earth had seen to date, likewise on the threshold of defeat. The 304s that had been so heavily upgraded they could take on the Wraith without much trouble were strained to the point of breaking. Their fleet was in disarray, their forces were retreating, and the Ori were still dropping reinforcements into the system.

Orbit of Earth was full of activity as more and more Motherships dropped out of hyperspace and joined the fray. As their shields threatened to buckle, the Earth ships fled destruction, but found nowhere to turn to. If they dove below the PDS, the planet would come under attack. If they didn't flee, then they would be destroyed. It would later be told to Weir that if they broke off the engagement for orbit, that the Ori would just jump past the PDS and attack the surface directly.

Then something happened that took Weir by surprise.

Their sensors detected five ships decloaking in orbit of Earth before entering hyperspace. One of them, before they could enter hyperspace, was struck by the feared beam weapons of the Ori. The shield of the tiny ship held for all of a second before that beam broke through and severed one of the wings of the ships Weir knew to be of the same design of the one that had so recently been rescued by _Atlantis_. The anti-proton thrusters that gave the ship propulsion destabilized and exploded in a brilliantly colored fireball. Using what engines it had left, the ship cloaked again and fled as fast as it dared with a compromised hull.

Another of the small, fast, maneuverable ships barely avoided another beam. The energy of the weapon passed through their shields, but missed the hull of her target by centimeters. That same ship exited hyperspace inside of the shield of a Mothership and the others in the area actually opened fire on their **own ship** in a bid to destroy their target. The ship entered hyperspace again, leaving behind a Mothership that was gutted by its fellows, and entered another ship's shield bubble before unleashing a hell-storm of plasma bombs that left the ship dying the death of fire and hull breaches. Another hyperspace jump and the ship was targeted again. This time, it did not escape untouched. Damaged too much to continue, this one did the same as the one before and fled under the power of its cloak.

A third of this class of ship, after destroying another two Motherships, was preparing for another run when it was overwhelmed by the lesser weapons fire of the Ori. The ship was torn into with lethal intent and left drifting, its engines dead, towards Earth where it would be destroyed upon impact with the surface. Instead, however, one of the 304s present in the system broke off its assault on the Ori and scooped the small craft into its 302 bay.

A fourth of the small ships destroyed one Mothership before being clipped by a hit that left the ship disabled. It, also, disappeared under a cloak though its flight was more of a tumble. If someone ran the numbers, they'd be able to predict its tumbling course and destroy it.

The last ship of their design took out three Motherships before fleeing under cloak untouched. Though Weir didn't know better, she had assumed that it was a bid to stay alive. Later she would be told that it was actually because their hyperdrive was in need of a cool down before they could jump again and not cloaking was suicide with the Ori so intent on destroying the small ships.

From its place behind the PDS, the _Cursor_ managed to lower the shields of seven Motherships wither her massive cannons. As it did, the Artic Weapons Platform fired a swarm of drones and destroyed six of the seven, the other being taken out by the _Cursor_'s standard ion cannons.

Walking back into the Control Room, Weir asked, "Can we save the _Gaia_?" with an emptiness in her voice. The sight had drained all the emotion from her mind.

McKay checked something on his terminal before replying. "It's a fifty-fifty shot. Either we'll envelope them in the shield and save them, or we'll ram into them and destroy the ship."

"If we don't do anything, they're dead for sure," Chuck added as the city entered weapons range and Sheppard let loose with everything they had from his place in the Control Chair.

As Weir looked on, using the sensors screen instead of her eyes, she watched as the _Gaia_ managed to destroy another four Motherships, but, as she did, her shield finally gave out. "We have to try," she ordered and Chuck nodded in reply.

Their weapons fire was focused into a cone around the _Gaia_ that forced the Ori to back off, but quickly brought attention to them. A flying city was one thing, but a flying city covered in guns was something else entirely. Four of the Motherships fell to her guns as the _Gaia_ fired her engines in reverse and fled back to their position. The ship, much to Weir's relief, safely passed through their own shield and used it to cover their now defenseless armor. It did not, however, do so without clipping one of the larger towers on the outer pier. The sensors module that made the _Aurora_-class unsymmetrical crashed through the upper three stories of the building and left debris from both the tower and the ship drifting past them in the gravity-less environment of space as they moved to engage the Ori fully.

From one of _Atlantis_' outer piers, the _Daedalus_ took off and opened a hyperspace window. Since only Ancient ships could pass through the city's shield barrier, the 304 had to go another route. Joining up with the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_, which were making life hell for the Ori by taking out their shields for the _Gaia_'s drones to finish them off, a task which _Atlantis_ was now helping to accomplish much more quickly on both ends, the _Daedalus_ and her sister ships became a single-minded hunting pack and the Ori were made to fear the small ships. Strange who that kept happening in this battle.

Behind them, the _Nex_ was accompanied by an Ancient Cruiser which Weir would later learn was captured from a Goa'uld of all people. The Cruiser used its own drones and beam cannons to add to the chaos that surrounded the largest ship in the system… well, largest until _Atlantis_ arrived. With its weapons assisting the _Nex_, those two spread death like a wildfire in a water deprived forest that hadn't seen rain in decades while _Atlantis_ pressed towards them.

Still safely tucked away in _Atlantis_' shield, the _Gaia_ fired her beams with lethal effect. The Grodin fired between the towers of the city, the bright light forcing anyone in the area to cover their eyes, and safely passed through the shield of the city before bringing down the powerful shields of the Ori with a disturbing ease. Two of the ships went down in flames as the beam cut through their shields and armor, but the third in the beam's path rolled over before it shield failed so that the beam passed through the space where there was emptiness in its design. The void in the Mothership between the glowing ball of energy and the engines was the perfect place for the beam to pass through without harming the ship, but that only pissed the ship's commander off so the offending ship received a volley of six standard beam weapons to its vital areas before succumbing to death. After the battle was over and Weir was told it was O'Neill piloting the _Gaia_, she would understand the ferocity with which the ship attacked.

The next thing Weir noticed was the _Nex_ dispatching the last of the enemies surrounding and pinning her in place before charging the Ori fleet with obvious anger while the Ancient Cruiser dove into the atmosphere. How a ship could have obvious anger was simply explained. It began by jumping into FTL in such close proximity to a Mothership that the opposing vessel was torn in half by the larger ship's artificial singularity, the half left behind succumbing to the whims of a loss of structural integrity. The large ship then reappeared so close to another Mothership that the half of the destroyed ship was merged with the untouched Mothership it had jumped into proximity of. Both of the solid objects trying to inhabit the same place in space caused reality to react in a violent matter as the universe did as was required of it to keep itself from falling apart.

The resulting explosion of matter pushing against matter was monumental and consumed all three ships in its fire, but the beam of black energy that left the fireball was a clear sign that the _Nex_ was still alive and kicking. Using that beam, the _Nex_ cut through an Ori Mothership and left its shield disabled as the larger ship emerged from the rapidly fading ball of fire. Due to the unshielded nature of the ship between her and her target, the _Nex_ simply rammed through the shieldless Mothership. The shields of the larger vessel flared a brilliant blue-black as the Ori Mothership lost its structural integrity and crumbled around the nose of the ship. As it did, another ten focused their fire on it in return.

Shrugging off the blows, the larger ship returned fire in force. Plasma and ion rounds tore through space in such numbers from that one ship that Weir was certain the _Nex_ could beat an entire fleet of Wraith ships into submission on its own and that was a frightening thought to someone who knew how powerful a Wraith ship was. Even then, only another two Motherships fell to her guns before the _Nex_'s shield gave out. As it did, the Ori kept firing. Massive chunks of the larger ship were torn off, blown to pieces, or blasted away from the hull as secondary explosions riddled the ship. So bad was the damage done by the fifteen or so beams that hit the ship that the superstructure could be seen through the armor like the bones of a man who had been clawed by a great beast and had both skin and muscle torn away from the structure that gave his body form. As another twenty or so beams headed for the ship that would surely not survive the onslaught, the _Nex_ disappeared in a flash of light that made Weir think that a Stargate had been activated in orbit.

Their sensors tracked the ship back into Earth's atmosphere where it fell from the skies, its engines no longer able to hold it aloft, and crashed into the oceans of Earth with a colossal splash that was almost visible from orbit. The wave it sent towards the shores would take an hour to reach the nearest beach and would be massive. There the ship rested, its hull smoking, superstructure exposed, systems going critical, and kept aloft only by the mass reduction field which, despite its actual mass, allowed the ship to have less mass than an aircraft carrier… or so it would be explained to Weir at a later date.

With two of Earth's most powerful ships now trapped below the PDS in no condition to continue fighting for fear of their destruction, another of them hiding within _Atlantis_' own shield, and their allies beaten into submission, the 304s were targeted and fired on by multiple Motherships while the city itself was surrounded. _Atlantis_ did their best to help keep the Ori off the backs of the smaller ships, but one by one the 304s were forced to flee. The commanders of the Earth ships did their best to take as many of the Ori with them as they could, but it wasn't enough.

One of the 304s took a beam to her weakened shields and danced its way through a hail of weapons fire. The shield collapsed and several of the lesser pulse cannons found purchase on the now exposed hull. Sections of the ship's hull were torn open and left venting atmosphere until the automated systems kicked in. Then one of the beams struck the ship and the starboard 302 bay was blown clear off of the ship as the beam of energy passed clear through it to hit the PDS behind the ship in question. All that was left of the fighter bay was a scorch mark on the armor of the ship it had once been attached to.

As this ship was targeted by another Mothership, a beam meant to destroy it was intercepted by a second 304. This one fought off the Ori long enough for the first to flee behind the PDS. As its comrade slipped away unharmed, the ship disappeared from sensors, obviously cloaking, and reappeared only when it, too, was behind the PDS. That took the _Apollo_ out of the fight with a missing 302 bay, sections of the hull cracked and scorched, and the _Odyssey_ with multiple hull breaches as she had had to hold her ground against the incoming fire to allow the _Apollo_ to escape.

That left _Atlantis_ and the _Daedalus_ which, due to being the latest arrivals, had the most shields at this point in the battle. The _Daedalus_ did her best to keep up the pressure, but it only managed to score two kills. The rest were claimed by _Atlantis_ and the surplus of beams on the _Gaia_ as the last sixteen Motherships in orbit turned their attention to the only two ships left fighting that they considered a serious threat.

_Atlantis_' upgrades had been designed to give the city a three-hundred sixty degree field of fire, so the Ori surrounding the heavily modified city of _Atlantis_ was hardly concerning. In fact, it only hastened their demise as it made more ships targetable at a time.

The Ori opened fire on the city, and Sheppard returned all that they were given with even more. The _Gaia_ used her own guns to remove another two of the Motherships from the picture, but being trapped between _Atlantis_' towers left the ship no room to maneuver around to line up her guns with the other Motherships. As such, they fired their drones, but it was _Atlantis_ that removed the remaining fourteen from Earth's orbit.

That left only one Mothership left.

It was in the atmosphere over Europe locked in battle with the _Ares_ and the Ancient Cruiser that had joined them in the fight. Weir looked on in awe as the three ships slugged it out. That look of awe then turned to one of horror as she noticed a city on Earth burning as a result of an attack by another Mothership that was still on the surface, smoking in a crater where it had been blasted into. Surrounding that Mothership was an army of pissed off soldiers launched by the _Ares_ and reinforced by the city's surviving military garrison and any civilian pissed off enough to grab a gun and charge an alien Mothership crash-landed on Earth.

Her attention was brought back to the last active hostile ship in the system when the Cruiser was struck by a beam in its broadside. The shield protecting the ship failed and the beam passed through the armored hull, bisecting it right down the middle of its x-axis. The two halves of the now beaten Cruiser plunged down onto the world below from nearly six-thousand feet. The superior design of the Ancient ship held together all the way down until it hit the ground. The fall did more damage to the ship, cracking its hull and straining its superstructure, but it didn't explode. Despite being **cut in half**, it didn't blow up. That was another point chalked up to the Ancients for knowing how to build a ship.

The death blow for the Ori in what would come to be known as the Battle for Earth came from the _Ares_ as her ion cannons collapsed the shield of the last Mothership and tore the Ori vessel apart one glob of ionic particles at a time. It was finally over. The Battle for Earth had been won.

Barely.


	34. Kiss the Past Goodbye

Chapter 33

Kiss the Past Goodbye

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Briefing Room) [roughly one hour after the Battle for Earth]*

"What do we know?" Landry asked as he walked into the room where the people who led his teams of specialists were gathered along with the ranking officers from the fleet.

"During the battle in orbit, we lost two ships. The _Devastator_ went down while fully in the control of the ship's onboard AI so we didn't lose any members of the organic crew. The _Savage Annihilation_, the Impolan Ha'tak that saved the _Cursor_ and bought the ship enough time to get behind the PDS, was fully evacuated once it was maneuvered into position so we avoided loss of life there as well. Well, the Impolans avoided loss of life. We actually had a few injured people when the _Cursor_ took that last hit. We also lost the _South Park_ during an atmospheric engagement against a Mothership attacking military strongholds in Eastern Europe. The _South Park_ was crewed by a team of four specialists in the CIC with sixteen engineers installing various systems in the ship. Yes," Colonel Carter cut off the interruption she knew was coming, "we sent her into the fight while actively upgrading her. We had to.

"Even with that, we actually got lucky," Sam continued the explanation as the holoprojector activated to show the destruction of the Ancient Cruiser. "If the beam had hit as little as an inch to either side of its impact site, the death toll would've been worse. As it stands, only one member of the crew died as his terminal overloaded and… melted his face. Had the beam hit one inch more to the ship's bow, secondary explosions would've killed the six technicians in the forward section. Had the beam hit one inch to the ship's aft, the secondary explosions would've caused the engines to go critical and the entire ship would've been destroyed by the resulting explosion and radiation would have escaped the core and spread across the surrounding area."

"That brings us to our next point," Doctor Bill Lee continued. "Opening hyperspace windows on the planet-side of the PDS allowed large amounts of subspace radiation to enter Earth's atmosphere. Luckily the Asgard have encountered this problem before and had developed a means of 'scrubbing' a planet's atmosphere and oceans of any foreign materials. Using the energy-to-matter synthesizers on the _Ares_ we've constructed a dozen of these drones to begin cleaning up the radiation the battle unleashed in the atmosphere with more being produced as we speak to speed up the process. Once they're done, the scrubbers will start focusing on less lethal problems like the remnants from BP's latest oil spill and the harmful materials being pumped into the air by the industrialization of the planet. We'll actually be able to restore Earth's water supplies and atmosphere back to the where they were before we hit the Industrial Age. Allergens will be eliminated and a lot of minor health problems will be solved in the process."

"When it comes time for disclosure," Weir said and most of the veteraned soldiers with the SGC flinched at the mere mention of the word, "this will help calm the masses. If they know that the events that have been kept secret from them for all this time are going to impact their lives in a positive way, they'll be less likely to go into full-scale riots. That won't stop the economies from collapsing, mind you, but it'll help. We can also use the existence of the PDS to help calm people down about Earth being attacked again in the future. We also need to begin the process of installing surface-to-orbit ion cannons across the globe to help increase our defense and decrease our reliance on drones.

"The two systems working together will be more effective anyway since the Ori just proved that drones aren't as omni-potent as we thought. There's also the ability of the countries represented by the Stargate Alliance to begin producing clean energy en mass. A global power grid could be established that uses Neutrino Ion Generators to produce the energy we need for everyday things which will help **keep** the atmosphere clean. We have the power and potential to change Earth drastically, and, if we play our cards right, all of those changes can be for the better."

"Yeah, but I don't see how putting thousands of people out of a job and over a hundred power companies out of business is a good thing. That's likely to create an economic depression even with people not having to pay an electric bill," Bill countered while rubbing his chin.

"Then we use what we have to circumvent that," Sam said as she changed the holoprojector to display one of their 304 slips. "Pac did a real number on our ability to produce warships. By constructing dedicated power generation facilities and tying them into the Asgard's energy-to-matter converters, we can do one of two things. The first option is to drastically speed up ship production by using the raw materials we have and dumping them into the energy-to-matter converters' buffers. Just like a transport beam, this will allow the converters to do all the work nonstop and build a new ship in three months by reassembling existing matter. The other option is to build more Neutrino Ion Generators, stop mining entirely, and let the converters build a ship in roughly six months. Both methods reduce ship production time drastically…" Sam began.

"And put more people out of a job," Bill countered sternly.

"No, it doesn't," Sam said with a smile.

"The fleet budget," Jack said with an approving nod.

"Both of these methods eliminate the need for both an assembly crew and the need to pay that workforce. One of these methods even goes as far as to eliminate our dependency on mining to build up our forces. That means that every paycheck we would be writing to pay the miners and the builders stops being written. It also means that maintaining mining equipment is as easy as manufacturing the needed replacements with the same methods we'd be building our ships with. That means that we'll have trillions of dollars every year already given to use that would have no use."

"So, what? We pay people for sitting around doing nothing?" McKay huffed. "Typical American solution to everything."

"Rodney!" Weir said in warning, her tones tight.

How he could say something like that after the largely American-controlled fleet just risked everything to save the planet from an intergalactic invasion was beyond her. How he could make such a comment in front of the very men who had led that fleet and lost people along the way was another mind-boggling concept for her. All of the people present in this room could kill him with ease and it was not bravery that led McKay to say the things he did.

"No," Sam shook her head, ignoring the snide comment. "We pay their way through school. A full-ride scholarship that pays for housing, gas, food, tuition, family needs… Anyone we put out of a job, we send back to school. Whatever they were making before their job was lost will be sent to their families every week or two-weeks depending on if they, themselves, were paid weekly or biweekly. On top of that, their schooling is paid for. We'd have to set up things like 'your grades have to be so high if you want the continued support', but it would solve the potential problem of an economic depression and even gives the countries in the Stargate Alliance a better reputation amongst the public. People would be spending more money by proxy because we'd be sending massive amounts of funding to schools across the globe and getting our fleet expansion without anyone having a valid reason to complain."

"I like it," Bill said with a simple nod.

"The next order of business if the rest of the fleet," Colonel Davidson said, bringing the conversation back onto matters of a military nature as the holoprojector shifted to show the _USS Odyssey_ in her current state. It wasn't a pretty picture. "Despite what you're all thinking, we made it off light… ish," Davidson said gruffly. "We lost thirteen good men and women to hull breaches and a few of our Asgard systems are offline, but they're all easily fixed since we had to deal with this when the _Apollo_ lost her systems during the first engagement. The damage to the _Odyssey_ all came when we were holding off the Ori long enough for the _Apollo_ to escape. To get the shields to hold as long as they did, we had to turn the Asgard Core back on and channel both its energy and the ZPM's power into the shields directly. That damn power core finally did us some good, but, even then, we took a beating."

The holoprojector then shifted to show the _Apollo_ itself, a 302 bay missing, dark scorches on the hull, and cracks that shot through the armor in a spider web of weaknesses. "Had they not stuck around, we would've lost more than our 302 bay. As it stands, we lost three 302s that were rearming, and twenty-six members of the crew. Four of them were the 302 pilots, ten were in the bay working on the planes, and the rest were the result of either the explosion of the bay tearing open the hull, or the various hull breaches we suffered after the shield failed but before the beam hit. We lost four of our secondary engines, all of our refined fuel for the fighters in that bay, any extra ammo stocks we had for the fighters, and suffered secondary overloads in systems close to the impact site. Those overloads took out one of our primary engines and left the starboard flank of the ship weakened. Apollo's best estimates put the repair time at two months and several thousand metric tons of material to repair the damaged flank. Replacing the 302 bay will take an additional three months on top of that."

The holoprojector shifted again, this time the _Daedalus_ appearing before them. The hull, much to everyone's relief, looked to be fully intact. "Don't look so happy," Caldwell said solemnly. "Since we didn't have an AI, we didn't know where not to be. As a result, we got grazed by the Grodin." The entire port side of the _Daedalus_ then promptly started flashing red. "Everything on the port side was overloaded by the glancing blow and several of the systems caused secondary explosions when they overloaded. Half of the ship is effectively just there to look pretty and the other half is suffering from the lack of cooperation from the damaged half."

O'Neill shook his head and applied pressure to the bridge of his nose. "Go down to the infirmary and have Doctor Lam scan your brain. It'll make repairing everything easier if we can get an AI into the system to tell us what's wrong."

"With all due respect, General. My people have already done that," Caldwell countered sternly, his tone defiant yet respectful. "I'll take an AI with my morals without complaint, but my men don't need a computer telling them what's wrong with their computers. They were trained well and we've suffered through worse wounds under worse conditions. The Battle of Void left us more desperately broken than the Battle for Earth. If we can survive that, we can handle a few overloaded and uncooperative systems. We will, however, need help landing the ship. Sara doesn't trust the engines to hold up to gravity right now. Propulsion's a little unstable at the moment."

"Of course your people are well trained," Sieon said as he walked into the room with a bandage wrapped around his head. "We wouldn't still be alive if they weren't. If ever I had any doubts about your race's place amongst the Alliance of Four, they have been thoroughly banished from my mind."

"You look like hell," Sam said in a concerned tone.

"Prior kick your ass?" Jack asked, a complete lack of humor in his question despite the wording.

Sieon huffed indignantly at that. "Priors are half-ascended fools who fancy themselves the messengers of their Gods. They have telekinetic powers, yes, but so do I. They can control fire, yes, but so can I… if in a different manner," Sieon added as a rippling, blue-black flame danced in the fingers of his hand before vanishing without a trace. "Biotics, unlike telepathy, are a physical strength measured by how much eezo you have in your body and your skill in their use. Your genes determine how much your body can handle, and I have some small part of my brother's genes. Needless to say, it would take more than the mentally deformed powers of a Prior to give me a 'run for my money,' as you Humans would say. No, I suffered this injury when the _Nex_ crashed into your oceans and a support beam fell from the ceiling and struck me upon my head."

"You sound… old," Colonel Mitchell pointed out.

"Head injuries are hard on Furlings because of how advanced our minds are," Sieon answered the poorly worded question. "Furlings are accustomed to seeing everything even if their eyes do not work. Blind Furlings can still see the world through the eyes of others, but not when they are struck upon the head." The disoriented looking man took a seat at the table and looked around at the gathered military and scientific figures. The politicians would be filled in later. Right now, this was a post-battle meeting for those who fought it. "It is akin to getting piss-ass drunk then having someone crush your skull. You continue to live, but you suffer great pain and feel disoriented. I cannot reach out with my mind to interact with the world around me which is rather a freighting sensation given that I have been able to do so since I was born. My earliest recallable memory in life is the feeling of my mother's mind when it first touched my own shortly after I entered the world of the living. I cannot recall that sensation anymore."

"We all owe you a great deal of thanks," Weir said matter-of-factly, ignoring the mention of the Furling's birth for the most part. She had questions about their culture, yes, but she'd ask them later. Doctor Jackson, who was standing across the room from her, was surely thinking along the same lines.

"You can thank me by getting my ship working again," Sieon replied while rubbing the uninjured side of his head. "Failing that, I need a FTL capable craft not being tied down in shuttling supplies around that you will not miss. I need to get back out there."

"Get back out where?" Daniel asked.

"Right," Sieon mumbled to himself while still rubbing at this head. "I never told you. After I found my people were gone, I searched the ruins and found something," Sieon explained as he pulled a black box from his pocket. "It is one piece of twelve that will unlock a hidden computer that will lead me to the location of… I do not actually know, but Rana went through great lengths to hide it so it must be important."

"Who's Rana?" Sam asked when the room fell silent.

"A conversation for another time," Sieon replied as he finally stopped rubbing his head. "The Ori Mothership has been secured. I handled the Prior and left your people to deal with the rest. Your Command Chief Master Sergeant, who has a rank that is longer than most are willing to speak, assured me that they could handle a few Ori soldiers."

"A few thousand is more like it," Mitchell countered.

"All but a few hundred were killed in the crash and I slaughtered dozens more to reach the Prior," Sieon assured them. "Now, what were you discussing when I entered?"

"The fleet status," Landry said. "We just went over the losses we suffered and the damages to the 304s. Next up is the _Cursor_."

"That ship is an over-glorified, highly lethal scrap heap," Sieon said coldly.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked indignantly.

"Nearly twenty percent of the _Cursor_'s hull is drifting in orbit above us," Admiral Ricks clarified as the holoprojector displayed the now heavily damaged ship that was missing a significant section of its rear… whatever those tower-things were called that the Asgard had put on all of their ships. "At this point, as I've been made to understand it, the time and materials needed to fully complete the _Cursor_'s repairs would be enough to build the space frame and armored hull of a new _O'Neill_-class from scratch and the superstructure of a second. In its current state, the ship is essentially just for show. Its shield, alone, will take three months of constant effort to get back to full strength, let alone operational on any useful level. As it now stands, the _Cursor_ could be easily destroyed by a trio of Ha'tak."

"We could always pull a card from the Colonials' book," Mitchell offered.

"What do you mean?" Landry asked.

"_Galactica_ was a museum when the Cylons attacked. We already have plans to pull the Core from the _Odyssey_ and put it into a museum to honor the Asgard. Why not use the _Cursor_ as that museum? We can get the hull breaches fixed then remodel it to serve as the last great creation left of the Asgard race. With the Core installed and a museum setup, we could really let people see what the Asgard were like. Add in holographic projectors to…" Mitchell paused as he thought of how best to word it. "… 'let the crew walk the halls,' and you'd have a good way of showing people the Asgard as they were before their…" and here he simply trailed off, unwilling to say the words.

"I really don't like the idea of taking a warship and making it a museum, but the state of the ship and the fact that its repairs would be so costly… at least we can honor the Asgard with it," Jack said with a nod.

"Then there's the _Gaia_," Sam said as the ship in question appeared before them. "Because the Lanteans used ZPMs for everything, including their ships, they were able to take on greater numbers despite the odds being against them. Because of this, the _Gaia_ had a ZPM during the battle."

"'Had'?" Jack asked.

"Had," Sam nodded. "It's the only reason the ship's shields held as long as they did. Without it, the _Gaia_ would've been added to the debris in orbit. The _Gaia_'s shield only failed once the ZPM was fully depleted, that's why you couldn't restore them after they went down," Sam informed them. "The ship is now running entirely off of its own backup generator and the Neutrino Ion Generators we installed. It's still fully combat ready, but the subspace grid was damaged when you clipped that tower as _Atlantis_ covered you with their own shield, which brings us to the last part of the _Gaia_'s report. _Atlantis_' shield didn't affect the hull, true, but it did affect the nannites that were effectively holding the upgrades together. Some of them were destroyed while passing through the field, but they're nannites as smart as the Asurans.

"The nannites that were destroyed by the shield sent a signal to the others and they started working on a way to survive. By the time the first Neutrino Ion Generator entered the shield dome, the nannites composing the generator had found a way to bypass _Atlantis_' shield without being harmed. Because of this, the _Gaia_ wasn't stripped of all of its upgrades and left with nothing but drones as would've otherwise happened when the shield destroyed them. However, several parts of the ship towards the aft that were upgraded by the _Nex_ will have to be upgraded again, but this time we need to do all of it without the nannites including the nannite-upgraded parts that are still intact. First, we have to reseal the ship's main reactor which **was** affected by _Atlantis_' shield and is leaking again."

"The _Ares_ is still in perfect fighting condition, and the slip back at the Alpha Site will be able to handle the upgrades and modifications we now know need to be made. We need to equip the modified Predator Drones with beam capacitors or some type of relay system to improve the range of the Vultures, and we need to install inertial and recoil dampeners in the STO ion cannons. The vibrations they send through the hull when firing are disturbing on a number of levels and distracting for the same reason," General Ervin added.

"_Atlantis_ never lost shields and the city was designed to take on a very large number of Wraith Hiveships, so the Ori didn't do any measurable damage, but every second we spend in space is draining our power needlessly," McKay pointed out.

"So land it," Sieon said, his tone somewhat distant, eyes unfocused, and face a rictus of pain. "The Artic Weapons Platform is where the city was built. It was designed to land there, so just set it down."

"I'd feel better landing it on an ocean," Sheppard said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

"Then let the AIs do it," Sieon countered with a dismissive wave of his three-fingered hand. "The systems in the Artic were designed to house the city. You'd be surprised at how much of a boon it is to return a tree to its roots."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"The _Ares_ was built on the Alpha Site. The facilities there are equipped to house and maintain the vessel. Trying to upgrade it at Area 51 is ill-advised and pointless as you'd have to land it on the sands of the desert seeing as how the ship is too large to fit within the 304 slips. As the General has pointed out, the upgrades to the ship would best be done where the ship was built. When the _Daedalus_ was in Pegasus and you wanted to upgrade it there, you could've done everything by sending all of the needed materials through the Gate, but instead you brought the ship back to Earth. Why? Because it's easier and more effective to repair it where it was built. It may not look like much, but the Artic Weapons Platform is more than you think it to be."

"Okay, that's the _Ares_, _Daedalus_, _Odyssey_, _Apollo_, _Cursor_, _Gaia_, _Atlantis_, _South Park_, _Savage Annihilation_, and _Devastator_," Sam listed off on her fingers. "The Artic Weapons Platform depleted what was left of its supply of drones taking out six of the Motherships, but now that we have a way of resupplying them it's just a matter of making more. To that end, we're pulling the leftover drones off of the _South Park_'s magazines and relocating them to the Artic Weapons Platform since the _Gaia_ doesn't need them. That leaves the rest of the Impolan fleet and the _Nex_."

Sieon grunted at that and shook his head before the remains of his ship appeared in the holoprojector. The sight made several sets of eyes widen in horror and several jaws drop in shock. "The _Nex_ was damaged to the point of breaking. Another beam to the right area, and the ship would've crumbled into dust. It will take a long time to repair the damage because the industrial might of the Furlings has been destroyed. What would normally take only a few weeks must now be done in months! I will have to show you how to create anti-protons to replace our lost stores, give you the methods needed to mine eezo so we can create a high gravity field to crush matter together and replace the armor with these methods. You will have to be given the knowledge of the Furlings' methods of ship production to affect any effective repairs and I am not entirely certain I want to give those methods to you. You have gained much in a short time and I fear what would become of your species if you gain too much before you are ready for it."

An odd series of clicks filled the air before a voice replaced it. "There is another option," a figure said as it shimmered into existence standing off in one corner of the room.

"Yes, I have noticed that you use that which is not yours," Sieon said, though there was no hostility in his words. "You have something I need," he said in his native tongue.

"I will not withhold from you that which is yours," the alien said in kind, his words punctuated with a small bow. "The Mimner wishes to meet with you. I will arrange this occurrence."

"You do not speak this language well," Sieon noted.

"It is not the language I was born to speak," the alien replied simply. Turning back to the Humans assembled before them, all of them looking confused, the alien then added, "The Mimner has given all to the peoples of Earth that it is willing to without compensation. Now it asks of you a small favor in return for services rendered."

"You just help save our collective asses," Jack said with a note of deep respect. "Name whatever price you want."

"A way home," the alien said simply. "We have but one ship left capable of entering hyperspace, and like the Taerg Reyarteb, the industrial might of Earth cannot solve our problems."

Landry was about to say something about that when Sieon stood to his feet, clearly outraged, and nearly shouted, "How do you know that name!?"

The alien looked the alien in the eye, Sieon's death glare and glowing body having no noticeable effect on the alien in question who was, likewise, glowing a vibrant shade of silver. "The Gaajli speaks highly of you," the Impolan said and the affect those words had were exactly what the alien was going for.

Sieon's rage was instantly gone, his face now a mask of confusion. Then it changed again to one of surprise before settling on naked hope as both of their bodies stopped glowing. "Like Scourge, Gaajli is a title derived from the name of the person who first held it. Gaajli'I'Haff was the first to hold the rank of Chief Scientific Officer in the Furling Galactic Navy. He was Scourge's adviser on all things that could be done to improve their forces and was the one who created a technological device that could amplify a Furling's ability to read minds. It made it to where the Collective that used the machine was able to reach further into space with greater clarity which helped distant Collectives come to know one another in an effort to avert more wars from starting. The last person to hold that title was Rana, my 'wife,' as you would say."

All eyes immediately turned to the other alien in the room. It was Mitchell who asked the question they were all thinking. "You're a Furling?!"

In reply, the alien raised its hand. They all took in the five fingers the alien had and wrote that idea off.

"Then what are you?" Sheppard asked.

The alien looked at the Colonel, its face hidden behind a mask of metal. "I am an Impolan, servant of the Mimner," it replied simply.

"Then how do you know the Gaajli?" Jack asked.

"The Mimner knows a great many things," the Impolan replied vaguely.

"But if the Gaajli's a Furling…" Mitchell began.

"That explains a lot," Sam finished, though the look Mitchell gave her told her that she hadn't even come close to getting the last part of his statement right. "You have particle cannons, hyper compressed layers of common alloys for hull plates, anti-proton thrusters, and I'm pretty sure we detected dark matter on your ships."

"Why are the Furlings controlling a lesser species?" Weir asked, the look Mitchell gave her a clear indication that she had gotten it right.

"'Control' is the wrong word," the Impolan replied. "Long has the knowledge of the Gaajli been the only thing between us and destruction. We were not controlled, we were guided. In return for the Gaajli's knowledge and a safety amongst the stars filled with hostiles found almost exclusively on Earth and other words in the Protected Planets Treaty, we do as the Mimner asks of us. Much has been gained through the alliance, some of which has been given to your own world. We are not slaves to be bossed around and demanded of. We are employees to be paid for our work and asked of. It is not something I expect you to understand."

"And you need a way home," Landry said in a tone that was an obvious attempt to get the conversation back on track.

"Indeed."

"And where would that be?" Jack asked.

"You need not know," the Impolan replied in a casually dismissive tone. "We will need only momentary access to your Stargate. The rest will be taken care of by our own people."

"Granted," Landry said with a nod.

The Impolan then looked down to the tac-pad, as the Humans were calling the small computer built into the armor design the Impolans had given them, and pressed a series of buttons. In the room below them, the chevrons on the Gate flared to life without the inner ring spinning, the lights simply turning on like they did on the _Atlantis_ Gate. As the seventh chevron locked and the Gate activated, a figure down below walked through the Gate unnoticed, their body hidden under the power of a cloaking device. The Gate then deactivated and the room entered an uncomfortable silence.

"We will depart shortly," the Impolan informed them before vanishing.

"So…" Sam said in the extremely awkward silence that followed the alien's departure. "What were we talking about?"

"Post battle debrief," Jack replied in a similar tone.

"Right," Sam said as she checked something on her tablet. "We all know that the first wave was twenty-five ships and that the battle tactics we used effectively handled them with minimal losses. Yes we lost the _Devastator_ in the first wave, but the ship was underpowered for its needed purpose. Without the changes we made, the ship never would've been a threat to the Ori so Ba'al did fail in that regard. Even then, the _Devastator_ was responsible for the kill shot of seven Motherships. One of those it got entirely on its own, the other six it got in conjunction with the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_."

"That's still impressive," Colonel Caldwell mused.

"Impressive, but irrelevant," Sam continued.

"Not really," Bill countered. "Without the _Devastator_, we would've lost the _Nex_ in the first wave and then the second wave would've been that much harder to win."

"Good point," Sam amended. "With the _Odyssey_ and _Apollo_ working together and the _Nex_ taking down their shields with her beam cannon, we scored another four kills for both 304s in the first wave and the last two Motherships were destroyed by either the _Nex_ or when it crashed into the PDS. For the first wave, we took out eight ships, the _Nex_ got one actual kill, the _Devastator_ got seven, and the _Cursor_ got eight. With the last one hitting the PDS that accounts for the capital ships of the first wave, but not the fighters."

"Okay, and the second wave?" Jack asked almost dreading the answer. They all noticed that the projected fifty Motherships had been far more.

"That's where our allies and the Four Great Races…" Sam began.

"Five Great Races," Sieon corrected her distractedly while picking at his bandages.

"… really come in handy. Between all of the ships they brought with them, the Impolans scored twenty-three kills in the second wave on their own, but only one of their ships is left fully functional. Between the 304s and the _Ares_, we managed to take out fifteen of the Motherships and suffered admittedly limited damage to our forces. Yes the _Apollo_ lost a fighter bay, but it could've been worse. The same can be said for the _Daedalus_ and _Odyssey_. During the second wave, the _Nex_ took out another ten Motherships and now sits on the oceans as a heap of smoking metal. The _Cursor_ took out six Motherships and is going to cost too much to fix the damages it suffered. Last but not least, between the _South Park_, the _Gaia_, _Atlantis_, and the Artic Weapons Platform, forty-six Ori Motherships were eliminated using something that the Ancients built and we upgraded.

"Now, the bulk of the **actual** credit for our victory, let alone our survival, goes to the Asgard who gave us what we needed to pull this off. Without their help making the 304s what they are today, we would've been wiped out."

"Aren't their weapons what brought the Ori down on us in the first place?" McKay asked.

All eyes in the room turned to the man. All of them were hostile except for one pair which were simply… distant. "I believe it would be best if you remained silent for the rest of eternity least someone decide to silence you in a less than favorable fashion," Sieon noted in a dry tone, still rubbing at his head and looking like he had the hangover of the era.

"So where do we go from here?" Jack asked.

"We must do an assessment of all that we have and decide how to proceed," Sieon said as he finally stopped rubbing his head if only so he could work the holographic computer built into his armor.

"Oh!" Sam exclaimed as it finally clicked in her head. "The tac-pad! It was based off of your armor, wasn't it?"

"We call them something that would loosely translate into your language as 'Omni-tools'," Sieon replied without pause or effort. A second later, the holoprojector built into the table shifted to show a new design. The _Nex_, in all her intimidating mass, stripped down to her naked bones. "This is the original blueprint for the _Nex_," Sieon explained. "I am giving it to you. Do as you will with it. I have need of great speed, not overwhelming firepower."

"As nice as that is, blueprints for a superstructure we can't build isn't going to do us much good," Sam replied.

"You will not need to build the superstructure. It is, for the most part, still structurally sound. There are repairs that are needed, yes, but the bulk of the damage was in the hull plating. The skin has been peeled off and the muscle has been cut into, yes, but the bones remain unbroken," Sieon replied.

Sam's eyes shot wide at what was, to everyone else, a simple statement. "You're **giving** us your ship!?" Sam all but shouted in surprise and the room instantly became silent.

"You will need it more than I will," Sieon said simply.

"Didn't you just say we were getting too much too fast?" Mitchell asked skeptically.

"And I still believe so, but I also trust you to do what is right, and anything I do not trust you with, Widget will monitor to be sure it cannot be used in an abusive fashion. All that I need from you is your word that you will not misuse the ship and the technology it represents. You'll need to be careful while conducting the repairs since one of the FSR containment cells was breached by the Ori's beam weapons," Sieon continued in far too casual a tone considering the severity of his revelation as the holoprojector zoomed-in on an area of the actual ship where, apparently a live feed from one of the _Nex_'s internal cameras, was showing water leaking into one of the ship's solar reactor plants.

The blue protostar that hovered in the center of the massive chamber inside of a shimmering field was now only a few dozen meters away from the water that was boiling as it entered the chamber and filling the affected part of the ship with steam as the gravity of the star pulled the water, both boiling and not, up into the air. The gravity wasn't as strong as it would be if the star wasn't being contained by the shimmering field, but it was enough to create an unnatural plateau-like high point in the water.

"The containment systems are currently using the oceans of your world as a source of fresh water to keep cycling through the coolant systems in an effort to prevent an overload. You will need to repair that section first and do so very carefully. Ultra violet radiation is harmful to your skin, yes? There are suits in storage aboard the _Nex_ that Widget will show you that will protect you from the bulk of the harmful radiation the protostar produces. Not being pulled into the protostar by its gravity will be the most pressing matter," Sieon finished.

"Wow," Mitchell said, otherwise speechless.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed stoically.

*Stargate Command (Landry's Office) [twelve hours after the Battle for Earth]*

"So what's the plan for disclosure?" Landry asked as he continued to file away the massive amount of paperwork involved in the details of being attacked by one-hundred-twenty-five Ori Motherships in a forty-eight hour period. He would have more nightmares about the paperwork than he would about the attack itself. That was telling.

"_The plan is to tell them the truth; that there is a fleet and a shield between them and the enemy, but we're leaving out some parts for security purposes. The President plans to disclose once he's finished writing his speech and securing the other nation's approval of the aforementioned speech."_ Landry gave the avatar a tired look and Pac added, _"Approximately seven days, which I have been informed is an Earth 'week:' a purely biblical term used to describe the amount of time it took the Christian God to finish making your world. I, for one, do not understand how a purely religious article ended up being such a prevalent part of Earth's chronological make up. You have to admit,"_ Pac added when Landry gave him a weird look, _"it kinda goes against your whole 'freedom of religion' theme to have a purely, and not entirely universal, religious aspect as such a pivotal part of your calendars. There is, however, a more pressing issue that requires your attention that is not related to my ramblings about the strangeness of your chronological structuring."_

"Great, who died this time?" Landry asked out of pure humor, his question ended with a sarcastic huff.

"_No one, it's just that the Impolans are leaving and Sieon's going with them,"_ Widget replied.

"WHAT!?" Landry exclaimed while almost doing a spit-take with his coffee.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Bridge)*

The fact that, despite the extensive damage his ship had suffered, the _Odyssey_ was still the best-off of the Earth ships was a disturbing fact in Davidson's humble opinion. Then again, the fact that they had a ZPM **and** the Core meant that their shields had held the longest. The _Daedalus_' brush with the Grodin had overloaded a lot of the ship's systems, and anyone could tell you why the _Apollo_ was the first to be put into the docking slip and under the knife. Their repair effort, however, was being stalled by a certain Colonel who was having another stroke of genius.

Davidson wouldn't argue against that. He knew first-hand how useful Sam's ideas could be.

And so the only fully operational ship left in Sol, that wasn't a flying city as the _Ares_ had left for the Alpha Site two hours ago, sat in orbit of her homeworld monitoring the system they called their own. When a burst of energy that had the same visual effect of a Stargate activating appeared near Pluto's orbital track, the planetoid in question currently on the other side of the solar system, and expanded to several kilometers in diameter, Davidson's eyes went nearly as wide as the rapidly forming portal. When an asteroid emerged from that shimmering mass of energy, his mind went blank.

"What the hell?!" Donnelly asked.

"We've got movement!" Marks reported as he typed away at his consul, the battered ship instantly back to combat mode, weapons armed, shields raised, and lights dimmed to conserve power. "It's the Impolans, sir," Marks said after a moment and the Bridge crew breathed a collective sigh of relief as the ship went back to simply sitting there undergoing a series of repairs from the _Nex_'s oh so very handy repair drones. They really needed to make more of those things. "Their ships are heading for the asteroid. Looks like that's how they've stayed hidden for so long."

"An asteroid as a base equipped with a wormhole drive like the _Nex_?" Donnelly asked, a grin on his face that told them all how great an idea he believed that to be. "The Impolans know how to party!"

"They're leaving," Marks said as the five ships remaining in their small fleet flew into the asteroid, some being towed by others. That mobile rock then began to put out more power than all of Earth's generators, not including anything acquired from the Stargate Program, combined. With another burst of energy and a second Stargate-like whoosh of light spreading over the rock, the asteroid disappeared. As it did, Marks' terminal beeped as a message arrived from Stargate Command. "Sir, General Landry has informed us that Sieon has left with the Impolans. Before leaving he gave us the… 'key' to the _Nex_'s systems."

This time, the news had Davidson's looking slightly confused. He had known about the transfer of command of the ship, but it needed a key? What the hell did that even mean? He shook off the question and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This week can't possibly get any weirder," he mumbled to himself. In all honesty, it was more a directionless prayer than a mumble, but he wouldn't admit to that even under torture and threat of death.

"That's where you're wrong," Isis said as she walked up behind them and pointed to something on Marks' screen. "They're landing _Atlantis_ on the Artic Weapons Platform, and the thing is… waking up."

Davidson looked at the small screen and was about to complain about it when Marks flicked his screen towards the forward viewport and the HUD on the 'window' in question shifted to show the images while the holo-tank in the back that held the galactic map also shifted to show the same thing so all could see without crowding around.

"Gotta admit," Marks mused. "I love the holoscreens." Thusly setup, they could all see what Isis had meant.

_Atlantis_, in all her slightly damaged glory, was slowly approaching the site on which she had been built all those millions of years ago, and wasn't that an impressive thought? A city several million years old that was not only still standing, but that could willingly fly between galaxies. Simply amazing…

As the city got lower, the ice beneath her landing site began to melt far faster than it should've with only the city slowly approaching, especially considering that _Atlantis_ was still at ten-thousand feet and the heat of its engines and reentry shouldn't affect the ice at that distance. Then, once the ice was weak enough, large, claw-like appendages several kilometers long each burst through the ice and reached into the sky like the fingers of a giant hand. Beneath them, the ice continued to break as large structures rose from beneath the frozen surface. By the time _Atlantis_ was low enough for those claws to touch the city, they had shifted.

Still looking like a great hand reaching into the sky, the claws grabbed hold of _Atlantis_' piers as powerful hydraulic systems and servomotors lowered the massive bulk of the city down to rest on a massive spike that jutted up from the center of that formation of structures. As it did, a heat spike detectable from orbit sent a massive amount of power into both the city and the surrounding structures. With the docking maneuver completed, the city was instantly consumed in a massive swarm of thousands of drones leaving the buildings that sat beneath the city's massive, snowflake base.

"Well I'll be damned," Donnelly said. "Sieon was right about something being easiest to repair in the place it was built."

"I believe his exact words were 'a tree returning to its roots'," Marks countered.

"Now all we have to do is take control of the automated systems so the drones don't remove the weapons we installed," Davidson agreed with a nod.

"_Oh…"_ Odysseus said, brown, holographic eyes going wide. _"We didn't even think of that!"_ the AI swore before sending a message to _Atlantis_' AI.

Professor Stark, Homeworld Command's version of Doctor Jackson, had suggested naming the AI 'Plato' since he had been the Ancient to have spread the rumor of _Atlantis_ throughout their galaxy. They had followed his suggestion which helped keep things from being too confusing as naming the AI after the ship, like Apollo and the _Apollo_, was perplexing in a verbal conversation. They were passively trying to find a new name for that particular AI, but no real effort was going into it. For now, it could stay the way it was.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Third Gas Giant from the Star (Lunar Orbit)**

*Zeta Site (Ship Yards)*

The wormhole drive that moved the Zeta Site was, in no way, a creation of the Zeta Initiative. No, that system had been installed in the Black Bunker long before the Zeta Initiative was even conceived. They had just learned how to use it, and that act, alone, had taken two-and-a-half years. As such, the trip back to the Zeta Site's chosen resting place was short and uneventful. The Impolans had, before the jump, settled their badly damaged ships into their slips much to the dismay of the Yard Dogs who tended them. From the look their leader sent the leader of the entire facility, they had not had to work this hard on the ships since they were originally constructed. The look the leader of the Yard Dogs gave the one who led Sieon as they disembarked the ship that was missing a wing spoke much to the man's mood, but Sieon had more pressing matters to attend to than an angry worker. The alien leading him through a strange facility being the most pressing.

"You are Human," Sieon simply stated.

"The Impolan Authority is a collection of races united in common purpose," the one leading him through the base said, his words coming out first as a series of clicks and chirps before being translated. "For example, she is no more Human than you are. She is the former Host to a Goa'uld assassin, an experiment in the effects of dark matter on organic life. We rescued her from her Hell and she joined us. Others are former Tok'ra," he added while pointing to another figure not wearing a helmet that had two eyes despite the design of the man's head protection. "Some are genetically altered Humans," another figure, this one a brute of a man in a walking mountain of armor and carrying a gun Sieon would be hard-pressed to survive being shot by. "Others still are Jaffa," and here one of the Yard Dogs was pointed out, the pouch in the man's stomach absent the Goa'uld larva. "Few of us remain simply and purely Human, and those few are just as proud of who they are as those who are not."

"Which world do you call your home?" Sieon inquired.

"You're looking at it," his guide replied.

"And before this?"

"I left behind any connection to my past when I came here. This is my home now."

"Surely this is not it? This is a mine," Sieon stressed. When the alien turned to face him, his face still hidden beneath a helmet, Sieon said, "My mind may be injured, but my body is sound. I can feel the eezo that surrounds us as surely as I can feel the air you pump into the halls of this station as it fills my lungs. You came here to mine, not to live."

"That's an inaccurate assessment," the alien countered, "and do not call me 'Shur-Li.' We came here to live because the mineral we wished to mine was present in bulk. Without it, the technology of your people does not work."

"We thought all the eezo in this universe to be gone," Sieon observed. "How did you find this place?"

"The Gaajli showed the Mimner the way, and he, in turn, showed us," the alien replied with a dismissive wave. "Before you are shown the path to the Gaajli, you must do something for the Impolan Authority."

"Name your price," Sieon said in a darkened tone that still remained neutral.

"You are not the only one afflicted with Glowing Skin in this universe, as you might have figured out on your own," the alien simply stated.

"I have met He Who Glows Silver," Sieon replied. "His power is untamed and referred to as 'Biotics', not 'Glowing Skin'."

"His is a side-effect of exposure to the machinations of your people," his guide continued, unaffected by the new name. "He is not the only one. Hers is the result of experimentation by the Goa'uld. He will live, if in a reduced state, but she will die soon if nothing is done and the other who was Touched can do nothing to stop it in them nor the ill effects she will suffer over time. You wish to convince the Mimner to lower the veil of secrets he uses to protect the Gaajli by her own order? You help me save them and I will give you what you want."

Sieon looked to the indicated figure who was stripping out of her armor and noted the scars that covered her body. He also noted the words and tones the one before him had used. "Is anything you tell the people of Earth true?" Sieon asked in an offhanded fashion as his eyes lazily flit from one person to another, noting that all of them lacked a third eye.

In reply to that question, he heard a hiss and turned to see the armored man, for he had to be a man, before him removing his helmet. Beneath the metal mask was a face with two brilliant green eyes, short, dark brown hair, and a look of defiance. "I do what I must to defend my people," the man said in a tone that left no room for arguing against his purpose in life. He also spoke a perfectly unaccented English.

'_Vocal disguises built into the armor,'_ Sieon surmised with his damaged mind.

"We all do," the man continued. "If that means we must leave our homeworld and go out into the galaxy under the guise of others, then so be it."

"You are from Earth," Sieon more said than asked.

"Born and raised," the man replied with all the pride the Furling had come to expect of the Tau'ri. "I was captured by the Goa'uld years ago. By the time the SGC sent a rescue team, the Impolans had already performed the deed. I stayed with them because they offered me a way to help Earth that didn't exist before. I serve the Mimner as an ambassador and in return Earth gets an alliance that leads to them getting the PDS. I will do anything to save my people, Furling. I know you to be of the same mindset. You are, after all, the Orchestrator of the Purge, but I do not judge."

"No, but you lie, even now," Sieon countered calmly. When the Human turned to him, Sieon repeated, "'You wish to convince the **Mimner** to lower the veil of secrets **he** uses to protect the Gaajli by her own order? You help **me** save them and **I** will give you what you want.' Your tones and words reveal your identity."

"So they do," the man who pretends to be an alien for the people of Earth and serves as the 'Mimner' for his own people said. With that, he began to walk again and Sieon followed him if only for the curiosity of this whole situation. They reached a medical facility that had many things that Sieon would expect to find in a Furling hospital where several wounded were being treated with technology far in advance to anything Earth had short of a captured sarcophagus. "You will stabilize the three who will suffer most due to your race's interference in this reality," the 'Mimner' demanded.

"And if I don't?" Sieon asked out of simple curiosity.

"Jack may not look like much, and she may not be a Furling, but she has a very strong desire to live and in your current state you'd be hard-pressed to handle her," the Mimner said in a nonthreatening tone.

"You wager much on my ability to do something that I was never trained to do," Sieon pointed out.

"Even you would be surprised by the miracles Miguel can work with blood samples," the Mimner countered with a shrug of innocence.

The threat, however, was clear. Either he helped willingly, or his blood would be enough for them.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*_FGN Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center) [twenty-four hours after the Battle for Earth]*

The _Nex_, despite being a very powerful vessel designed to fight wars in the stars, now rested unsteadily on the surface of the Indian Ocean off of the coast of Australia. In its command center at the heart of the ship, Sam sat in the Control Chair and looked around the room that was decked out in its three-hundred-sixty degree holographic projection of the surrounding area. She was learning the ship's systems faster than she thought possible, but having an AI onboard to explain things helped a lot. She found that if she focused her vision in one place while sitting in the chair, she could get the image to zoom-in. Small victories like this led to other, greater victories and she was slowly but surely developing a way to control the crippled warship the way it was meant to be controlled.

The 'key,' as Sieon had called it, was truly just a modified version of the ATA gene designed to give a person, and there was only enough of the serum Sieon handed them before leaving for one dose, just enough of a small sliver of Furling DNA to operate the ship, the FTA gene, if you will, and he had handed it to Sam specifically. Apparently the alien liked her more than she thought. And so, with Sieon's orders and Widget's insistence that the serum was for Sam and Sam alone, she had laid on a bed in the infirmary and gotten injected with alien DNA. She had the strangest job in the galaxy in her opinion.

The interface that the FTA formed between her and the _Nex_ tuned both she to the ship and the ship to she. Sam could even 'feel' certain parts of the ship as her mind slowly adjusted to the powerful computers that ran the systems and Widget slowly began strengthening the connection in an effort to not overwhelm her mind all at once. As such, she could feel it as an itch in her legs as the engines were slowly pieced back together by a swarm of drones, a burning in her arms as the guns were rebuilt from scratch, and a numbness in various other parts of her body where the repairs had yet to so much as begin. It was exhilarating to be so in-touch with the inner workings of a ship and she could certainly see why the Ancients and Furlings had gone the route of the Control Chair.

"_Okay, everything checks out. We'll start when you're ready,"_ Widget said.

"No, 'but let the record show I'm against this,' this time?" Sam asked, her eyes still closed as she felt the ship as if it were her own body.

"_Nope, not this time,"_ Widget replied brightly. _"I'm one-hundred percent certain that this will __**not**__ result in your death, nor mental or bodily injury in any way whatsoever. We will proceed when you're ready,"_ Widget said again, a smile in his tones that Sam could feel through her connection to the ship and the AI that lived within.

"Do it," she ordered.

"_Strengthening neural link. Brace yourself, this will pinch,"_ Widget warned as several dozen small pricks in her spine marked the places where the chair was interfacing with her nervous system. Those pricks went from the base of her spine to the base of her skull and even extended down her legs and arms, digging into various major nerve clusters across her body. Once the process was done, Widget gave one last warning. _"Don't chase the rabbit,"_ he said, an image of Alliance and Wonderland popping into her head through their connection.

"Pilot is engaged in neural bridge," Widget said as Sam opened her eyes and found herself standing in the CIC of the _Nex_, Widget beside her.

Her physical body, much to her unease, could be seen sitting in the chair behind where she stood in spectral form. She then turned to Widget who looked notably less… glow-y than he usually did. She reached out and touched him, her hand firmly pressed against the AI's chest which was, for the first time in her month or so of knowing him, a solid thing.

A **very** solid thing.

"Welcome to my world," Widget said with a bright smile as he took Sam's hand and the scene changed around them.

Sam perceived the change as a mass of spinning lights which had the unfortunate side-effect of making her woozy, but Widget's hand holding hers gave her something to 'anchor herself' to. She looked into his eyes and focused on how real this all felt. If she had food in her virtual stomach, she was sure she would've vomited.

And how did vomit in a computer system affect the operation of the computer? Was it real? Was it a virus to the computers? Or was it just random bits of knowledge thrown-up all over the place?

Sam shook the questions from her head with a small smile on her face. That was the weirdest question she'd ever asked herself. It was like asking what happens when Widget uses the restroom in the computers. There was no need for that so there were no bathrooms. Realizing her train of thought was still far from being where it needed to be, Sam refocused on the eyes staring back into hers.

When the spinning stopped, she finally looked away from him and took in their new scene. They were floating over the Indian Ocean… no, this wasn't an ocean of water and they weren't on Earth anymore. This was an ocean of knowledge. Millions of years' worth of gathered data, logs written by the greatest minds of four of the Five Great Races, schematics for devices Sam had never thought to create, the base work for quantum mechanics, the recorded going-ons of the entire galaxy… everything Widget knew, had seen or heard while connected to the Furling Stealth Satellite Network, everything he had experienced since being turned-on for the first time was stored here in this one place; the _Nex_'s **massive** server banks.

What wasn't his knowledge sat off to the sides, great dams separating the different oceans, each one representing either the Ancient Database on _Atlantis_, the Asgard Computer Core which was still on the _Odyssey_, the _Nex_'s server banks, or Earth's own internet and the servers that stored the collective knowledge of the Fifth Race.

"It's incredible!" Sam exclaimed as she took in the oceans. Each one began at her feet, the points of the dams meeting in the middle where something waited for them, then stretched far beyond the horizon of her perception. The collective knowledge of four species was a lot to behold even in a metaphorical sense.

"Now you see why I love being an AI," Widget said with another broad smile as he lowered them towards the oceans. "Don't chase the rabbit," he said again, more sternly, as their increasing proximity to the 'waves' and the 'salt-water spray' they kicked-up gave Sam a glimpse of little tidbits of information.

She had to focus past it. If she ran off and got lost in the oceans of data, she would never be found again. Widget had told her that much in warning before they began the process of getting her linked to the ship's computers roughly six hours ago.

"What does the galaxy look like?" Sam asked him and she could immediately feel herself slipping.

Her eyes opened and she took in the sight of thousands of civilizations and an untold number of worlds. Her ears heard radio broadcasts from all around the galaxy, buzzing in her ears like a million conversations happening all at once, all of them directed at her. She could feel the solar winds, the radiation of a galaxy, brushing over her skin. Then it was gone and she was breathing heavily as she sat up in the Control Chair.

"_Don't. Chase. The rabbit!"_ Widget said again as Sam got her breathing under control.

She knew this was the real world because Widget was glowing and his voice had that electronic edge to it again. That, and she could feel her stomach rumbling in protest about her lack of eating today… and yesterday…

And the day before that.

"That was… strange," Sam said as she slowed her breathing.

"_It's okay to think something, but try not to act on it. You have to realize that your subconscious mind is just as powerful as your conscious mind. Don't let it take control,"_ Widget couched as Sam settled back into the chair and felt the needles pierce her skin again. Another needle pierced her arm and she opened an eye to see an IV being put in by a medical drone. She rolled her eyes behind her eyelids at Widget's babying her and focused on slipping back into the computerized world once more.

"Pilot is engaged in neural bridge," Widget said as a wave crashed against the dam and sent a cold wave washing over her. Sam pulled her arms in with a shiver as a jacket materialized around her. She was standing at the apex of the four great dams, ice-cold spray kicked up on all sides by roiling waves of information, and Widget standing beside her. "Knowledge has that effect on organics," Widget offered in way of explanation as he tugged that jacket around her more securely. "You don't call them 'cold hard facts' for no reason."

"And the jacket?" Sam asked.

"It's a firewall," Widget replied with a chuckle.

"And the waves?" This question, in particular, Sam wanted an answer to. **Why** there were waves in a fake ocean eluded her, and she didn't want to chase the rabbit again to find out for herself.

Widget tapped his chin with one finger on a tridactyl hand before shrugging in ignorance. "I think it's supposed to be a representation of my subconscious mind sorting the information or something, but I'm not really sure."

"You don't know?" Sam asked in utter shock.

"I'm not omniscient, Samantha Carter," Widget said indignantly. "I do, however, know you quite well."

"Oh?" Sam asked in a challenging tone.

"You are the daughter of Debra Carter and Jacob Carter who was a US Air Force Major-General before agreeing to become a Tok'ra Host to both survive his fatal case of cancer and secure Earth's alliance with the Tok'ra. You were born December Twenty-ninth, Nineteen-sixty-eight. You have a brother named Mark Carter who is married and has two kids; David and Lisa. You were named 'Samantha' because your father wanted a boy. As a child, you often sat on the willow tree in your backyard. On sunny days, the wind blowing through the leaves sounded exactly like rain when you closed her eyes. Replicator-Carter later possessed this same memory.

"Your mother, Debra Carter, sang 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' to you when you were a child. Your mother died in the early nineteen-eighties when you were twelve. You blamed your father because he was supposed to go pick her up at the airport but didn't which forced your mother to take a taxi. It was during that fateful taxi ride that your mother died in an accident. You spent a lot of time hating him for that, but eventually forgave him.

"You've always been exceptionally bright and went on to get a Ph.D. in astrophysics with extensive knowledge in quantum mechanics while attending the Air Force Academy. You worked at the Pentagon for two years and logged over one-hundred hours in enemy space during the Gulf War. You were assigned to work on the Stargate Project in nineteen-ninety-three, two years before Doctor Daniel Jackson had the same opportunity, and were a prominent member of investigating the sciences behind the device. You also helped develop the Dialing Computer.

"You fought tooth and nail to be part of the team to go through the Gate the first time, the first trip to Abydos when Daniel stayed behind. You wanted to go with Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson. The official reason they didn't let you go was due to the urgency to complete the important first mission on time. What was stopping you from being ready then in their eyes?" Widget asked. The whole time he spoke, little holographic 'screens' popped up showing everything from news reports on her mother's accident to classified military records.

"Did you just 'Wiki-walk' me?" Sam asked.

"No," Widget replied with a casual shrug. "I 'Wiki-walked' you and the rest of SG-1 a few weeks ago, specifically, before 'Wiki-walking' Earth as a whole."

"You weren't on Earth a few weeks ago," Sam pointed out skeptically.

"Your systems aren't that hard to hack from across the galaxy, Sam. Once I broke through the firewalls on your 'internet,' I learned enough about your coding to slip into backdoors in your military servers without leaving behind a trace. The only computers on Earth I couldn't hack without being detected were the ones you upgraded with the technology you got from the Stargate Program."

"Right," Sam said while suppressing another shiver and pulling the jacket closer to her. "What do we look for first?" Sam asked making a point to keep her eyes locked directly ahead of her where Widget's own stared back at her. The look of amusement in his eyes at his invading her personal life so completely made Sam want to slap the look off of his face.

"Good thinking," the AI said with a warm smile that actually made her feel warmer. "Mental anchors always help. Now, to answer your question, we begin with a solid idea," Widget replied as a hologram appeared between them. Unbeknownst to Sam, that same hologram had appeared over her corporeal being as well. It was the basic schematic of the _Daedalus_-class before any of the Post-Fifth Race Upgrades, or, more simply, the 304 B. "Instead of something new, like the _Prometheus_ becoming the _Daedalus_, let's take the _Daedalus_ and make it something greater like the Goa'uld did with the various types of Ha'tak."

"I've never been one to say that size matters, but we need a bigger class of ship," Sam said as she reached out and pulled on the _Daedalus_ until it was stretched to new dimensions. Widget then shifted the hologram and made the new projection look more natural by fixing the proportions. "That will let us put the Neutrino Ion Generators in without sacrificing as much space as we did in the Post-Fifth Race Upgrades. If we put in two of the Neutrino Ion Generators, it'll reduce our reliance on ZPMs for that needed power boost. The increased size also allows us to install more weapons across the hull. I know what you're gonna say," Sam stopped Widget from speaking, "but we **barely** survived the Ori. If we're going to handle another hundred ships with a limited fleet, then we need a better class of Battlecruiser."

"I wasn't going to argue," Widget said with a chuckle. Being in 'his world' really made him seem real. All of his expressions and sounds were so… pure. "Just because **I** can read **your** mind, Samantha, does not mean that **you** can read **mine**. Now, to point out a fatal flaw in that, keep in mind that an increase in size means an increase in the size of your dry-dock slips. How do you solve that problem?" Widget asked.

"The _Cursor_," Sam said after a moment of thought. "Its matter converters were designed to be used on other ships, and if it can repair the _Odyssey_ on the fly in the middle of the void between planets, then it can upgrade the slips to the new standards that Pac developed. The ship might not be battle capable, but, unlike the _Nex_, its conversion systems are still operational, and, unlike the _Odyssey_, its converters were designed for this type of work. We can have all of the upgrades to the slips done in two days if we use the _Cursor_."

"Two days per slip," Widget corrected.

"Right," Sam said after noting that she'd left that fact out. "Still, that means we can just convert the _Apollo_ into this new class instead of repairing her then building the new class of ship. If we use the new slip upgrades to dismantle the ship down to the space frame, which is shot to hell and filled with cracks anyway, then it'll be a one-hundred percent efficient recycling effort and half of the new ship is covered by that material alone. The other half is easily covered by our remaining stores of trinium and naquadah, but we'll need more raw materials for the other ships if we want to speed up the process."

"What else?" Widget asked as he kept making changes based on her suggestions.

"The fighter bays," Sam said. "You have the recorded data on the _Battlestar Pegasus_ the captured Baseship brought back with it, right?" Sam asked to which Widget nodded. The Baseship in question, like the _Ares_ was at the Alpha Site. Unlike the _Ares_, it had been sent there to keep the useless ship from being destroyed during the fight with the Ori. "I like their fighter bay designs. One on top of the other and fighters launching from the sides. That, and a redesign for the 302s."

"One thing at a time, Sam," Widget warned. "Don't. Chase. The rabbit."

"Right," Sam said as she took a deep breath and pushed the 302s from her mind.

"What are you going to call it?" Widget asked.

"The _Achilles_," Sam replied with a smile on her face that spoke wonders for why she had chosen that name. It would be the Achilles Heel, not of Earth, but of her enemies. A few changes to the design later, and the _Achilles_ was shaping up to be a very powerful ship.

"Now you can focus on your fighters," Widget said as the new design was finalized and saved under a file marked '_Achilles_-class Heavy Cruiser.'

"Once again, I want to take a page from the Colonials' book," Sam said as the 302 was projected into their virtual world next to a Colonial Viper they scanned after bringing one back with them from the tylium mine all those weeks ago. "The maneuverability of the Colonial fighter craft is something I'd like to try and duplicate."

"You'll have to increase the z-axis of the new design to pull that off," Widget noted and the nose of the 302 was extended to an appropriate size. "Changing out the multi-stage engines for a Furling fighter's engine design and getting rid of the hyperdrive you never use will open up space for a more stable generator and that will allow for more technologies to be utilized."

"Like shields," Sam said. Then she had a double take. "That's not entirely true. We used them to launch an attack on the Cylon Resurrection ship to buy the _Pegasus_ enough time to regroup with the Colonial Fleet. It comes in handy every now and again."

"That's hardly a reason to keep it," Widget countered. "With the modifications made to your 304 Bs, the dampeners will never overload like that again, and a full replacement for the system is now standard cargo these days. Keeping the 302s' hyperdrive isn't advisable. Maybe make a subclass of fighters that will keep them, but don't make it standard issue. It's a waste of space and power."

"Okay, then we need to figure out the systems," Sam agreed.

"Using a Furling engine design, a Tau'ri fighter frame, Colonial flight tech, and Asgard computers might make things difficult for the pilot to handle. That many different systems won't be easy to handle all at once with an organic mind."

"What about a VI to handle the interfacing of the systems?" Sam asked.

"That would solve some problems, but not all," Widget replied with a shake of his head, his hair, because he had hair, waving around as he did. "It would be better to redesign the Furling engines and Colonial flight tech from the ground up to fit the…" Widget continued before stopping as Sam ran her fingers through his hair. "Can I help you?" Widget asked in a confused tone.

Sam shook her head and pulled her hand back. "Sorry, it's just weird that I can touch you. Weirder still is that you feel so real!"

"This is **my** world, Sam. I'm as real here as I want to be, and I want very much to be real," Widget replied in a tone of longing. "Now, back to the matter at hand. It would be better to redesign the Furling engines and Colonial flight tech from the ground up to fit the new fighter rather than tacking it onto the 302 after the fact. We may be looking at an entirely new fighter concept instead of a modified one stop touching me!" Widget exclaimed as Sam poked him in the stomach.

"Sorry," Sam said again as she blushed in both the virtual world and the real world.

"The _Achilles_ may still resemble the _Daedalus_, but the new fighter will most likely look nothing like the original 302," Widget continued as the fighter was changed drastically as they added to and took away from it.

The blueprints for each component was altered to be able to be produced by Earth's current industry and programmed with a new, more efficient coding that would later become the standard for all Tau'ri operating systems that dealt with technology from multiple species. Then the flight frame was changed. It looked like the 302's wings, which normally curved down and forwards towards the cockpit, had been twisted so that they curved down and backwards towards the engine compartment. They were also shorter. The elongated nose was still present, as was the cockpit, but everything else was different. The fighter wasn't so wide anymore, and actually looked like something that both belonged in space and to the people of Earth as opposed to a modified Death Glider.

"Couple that with a VI and the fighter will be far easier for the pilots to handle," Widget said as the design came together, a fabrication of two minds working together with all the knowledge of four powerful races.

"Nice," Sam said as the finalized design was saved and the scene changed again as Widget took her hand. When the swirling lights stopped, they were standing in the CIC again, but there were two Widgets, two Sams, and one Jack.

"_Whoa,"_ Jack said, his voice, oddly enough, with an electronic edge to it.

"You're still in the computers," Widget replied, his voice still comparatively normal.

"_That's weird,"_ Jack commented as he looked between the two Sams which prompted Sam to look down at her own hands and realize she was a hologram.

"No joke," she agreed with her superior officer as she stared through her hands at her body lying in the Control Chair. "Widget, how do I…" Sam began as she felt herself fading. Sam, once the nauseating swirl of colors ended, opened her organic eyes and took in the sight before her. Jack was standing off to one side with Widget, and Sam had to shake off the mental funk of having been in a virtual world for so long. "What time is it?" she asked

"About midnight local-time," Jack replied, his voice back to normal. "How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy," Sam replied without moving.

"_It's to be expected,"_ Widget assured them, his voice once again electronically distorted. _"If she hadn't have taken the gene therapy, it would've killed her."_

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, concern clearly evident in his tone.

"_It's like your expose to the Ancient Repository of Knowledge,"_ Widget explained and Sam had to shake her head at that. Having heard his voice the way it was meant to sound, she found the electronic edge to be… wrong. _"You had the ATA gene before you were affected by the machine. It's the only reason the exposure didn't kill you. Sam concept, different species."_

"So I can sit in that chair and interface with the ship too?" Jack asked.

"_Only if you want to die from knowledge overdose-induced hemorrhaging,"_ Widget replied in a warning tone. _"If Sieon hadn't of made the 'key,' we would've been screwed."_

"Screwed how?" Jack asked.

"_As screwed as the _Atlantis _Expedition would've been without any members with the ATA gene. Sam, essentially, has been given the FTA gene. In order to keep me from going haywire and killing all organics like the Cylons, the _Nex_'s primary systems require someone with Furling DNA to power up the ship. I can operate basic things like the shields and jammers freely, but when the Ori attacked P3X-727 Sieon had to get to the Control Chair and unlock the other systems before I could respond to the threat."_

"If they had so little faith that you wouldn't turn against them, why did the Furlings still install you on the ship?" Sam asked.

"_One of the wars the Furlings fought was against an AI race that they created themselves,"_ Widget admitted as a bipedal robotic body appeared before them in holographic form. _"The reason they __**mis**__trust me lies in that war. The reason they __**trust**__ me lies in Rana's changes to my Foundation. The personality matrix that makes me semi-organic is why they put me in the systems across the fleet. The fact that I'm still subject to rampancy is why I'm still limited in function in every computer I'm installed in."_

"You keep saying 'me' and 'I'," Sam noted.

"_Fracture code, remember?"_ Widget asked to which Sam nodded. _"I'm the… 'father' to the entire 'race' of Furling Smart AIs. I was the first one they made with the complete code, the first one given True Consciousness, and the first one set free. Every AI that came after me was a fracture of my code mixed with a new personality matrix."_

"Why?"

Widget shrugged in reply to Sam's question. _"If you get it right once, why change it?"_

"What's rampancy?" Jack asked when their conversation was finally at a stopping point.

"The AI equivalent of going insane," Sam replied casually.

"_Murderously so,"_ Widget added with an evil cackle and a look on his face that said, 'I'm coming for you!'

"Don't do that," Sam ordered as a shiver ran down her spine, one that was, in no way, born of cold. It was actually rather warm in the ship with the FSR still exposed like it was. "Ever."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Topeka (En Route)**

*Goa'uld Forces (Scouting Party in Nearby System) [thirty hours after the Battle for Earth]*

Ba'al had ordered his First Prime to do the impossible; retake Topeka from the hostile forces that had claimed it. He had planned on using a pinching maneuver, attacking their ground and orbital forces at once, but every time they attempted to connect to the planet, the Chappa'ai on Ba'al's homeworld wouldn't link to the one on Topeka. In an attempt to better ascertain the enemy's strength, two Al'kesh were to be sent ahead to scout the enemy forces.

Ba'al's counter-fleet was waiting about a hyperspace minute from Topeka. The hangar doors of one of the Ha'tak opened and the two Al'kesh launched without a sound. Engaging their cloaking devices, the small ships moved towards the planet.

'_And now we wait,'_ Zune thought to himself.

The wait, however, was far shorter than he could've anticipated. Out of flashes of light and spikes of energy, three ships appeared. Two ships matched the design of the enemy's capital ships while the third was unlike anything Zune had ever seen before.

"Destroy the warships, but capture the third vessel!" Zune ordered confidently.

As the enemy capital ships opened fire with nuclear missiles, the third ship disappeared from their sensors. "The target vessel has engaged a cloaking a field," the Jaffa manning the sensors reported.

"Enemy capital ships have broken off their attack and are now fleeing," another Jaffa reported.

"Chase them down!" Zune ordered vigorously. He needed to win this battle or Ba'al would surely kill him and the element of surprise was all he had to counter the overwhelming numbers arrayed against him. Five Ha'tak chased the capital ships through space before the enemy vessels, under heavy fire, jumped away, leaving the third, unknown ship behind. "Prepare for hyperspace jump, we mustn't let the enemy engage us here. Move the fleet to the far side of the planet."

Fifteen Ha'tak jumped into hyperspace… fifteen out of forty. "A large portion of the fleet is experiencing trouble with their hyperdrives. They cannot jump and two of them have vented their crews into space. What are your orders?"

"Whatever that ship was that cloaked must be affecting their systems. Order the launch of their Al'kesh and Gliders, they're to blow through the hangar doors if necessary, then set the reactors on those ships to overload. Rendezvous us with the rest of the fleet," Zune said gravely, knowing that he had just lost the bulk of his forces.

***Cylon Forces (Resurrection Ship) [a few moments earlier]***

"Well this is just great. We've jumped right into the middle of the enemy fleet!" Cavil moaned. He and Caprica had just been testing the sub-space equipped Resurrection Ship's range by jumping off of a cliff and being revived on the ship, and were now on their way back to the_ Colony_ to report their survival.

"Cloak the ship and order the Baseships to retreat. Once their FTL coils are spoiled up, order them to jump," Caprica calmly ordered.

"Are you mad? You want us to stay here without our guard?" Cavil asked.

"Relax brother, they can't detect us, and besides. Now is the perfect moment to see if our refined virus will affect their systems," Caprica said as she placed her hand in the link and ordered the virus to be sent.

Cavil placed his hand in the link as well and stopped the broadcast. "Are you mad? Broadcasting that message could give us away!"

"Have faith, Brother. Another Resurrection Ship is in orbit of the planet. Even if they do destroy us, we'll be safe," Caprica said as she leaned in on the short man and ground her teeth in anger.

"Very well, Sister, but be quick. We need to report their position before they leave," Cavil sneered.

"That's why the Baseships are jumping ahead of us. If we can capture their ships, we can study working versions of their technologies," Caprica insisted.

"Ah, now I see your logic," Cavil said with a smirk.

"'Now'? Brother, you insult me. You doubted my abilities?" Caprica asked in fake pain.

"They're launching ships," D'Anna said. Looking out of any of the many windows that composed the Resurrection Ship, they could all see as the hangar bay doors were blown open and out of them flew all of the Jaffa's fighters and bombers.

"Send a message back to the_ Colony_, tell them we've captured a significant portion of the enemy fleet, but fifteen ships got away along with all of their fighter support," Simon said as he observed the scene.

**Topeka (Orbit)**

*_Cylon Colony_ (Consensus Room)*

"Should we move the_ Colony_ or not?" Leoben asked.

"Of course we should. Until the upgrades are complete, the_ Colony_ is vulnerable. I will not risk our home when our Baseships are perfectly able to defeat these Ha'tak," Boomer replied smoothly.

"I agree with our Sister," another Four said. "We shouldn't risk the_ Colony_ when the Baseships are perfectly expendable. Once we've upgraded all of the systems and finished the armor modifications we'll be able to leave it in orbit of planets during battles. Until then, it means too much to the Cylon race to be unnecessarily risked."

"Where do we put it then?" Boomer asked.

"We jump it closer to the system's star, and let it recharge the solar batteries," a Six said as she joined the conversation. "We should do it soon, too. Caprica and Cavil report that all of the enemy's fighter support and mid-range bombers are inbound. It's safe to assume the capital ships will closely follow."

"We'll need to be sure and keep them from bombarding our mining operations. If the caves collapse, it'll be an unnecessary pain to clear all that rubble," Aaron added.

*Cylon Fleet*

After collecting the last of the Heavy Raiders that were acting as cargo ships for the naquadah, a flash of light signaled the disappearance of the _Colony_. The Baseships took up position to guard the mines from orbit while launching their Raiders to handle any fighters that made it through. A moment later, all but ten Baseships jumped to the edge of the system.

A second later, fifteen Ha'tak dropped out of the swirling vortex of hyperspace and rapidly decelerated back into sub-space. As the Ha'tak closed in on the ten Baseships, they opened fire believing themselves to be facing an inferior foe. These ten Baseships were the first to, upon Cavil's constant nagging for the need of shielded Baseships, received Goa'uld shielding technology. A signal was sent back to the Cylon fleet and fifty more Baseships jumped in to surround the Ha'tak.

With ten in the middle and fifty pushing them closer to those ten, it was time to reveal the final surprise. A series of hatches opened along the ten Baseships' hulls and plasma cannon prototypes slid out. Now the battle really started as the Ha'tak found themselves pinned down by the fifty normal Baseships that were still pounding their shields with conventional missiles while the ten modified Baseships used their own weapons against them, although in greater number.

It was a short battle and once again a one-sided slaughter. The Cylons, unlike the Goa'uld, could instantly flee the battlefield by jumping out before they took enough damage to be destroyed. The Ha'tak, surrounded by Baseships as they were, were unable to gain enough speed to enter hyperspace and were, therefore, stuck. The battle ended when the last Ha'tak managed to punch a big enough hole in the Cylon line to jump out. One out of forty got away. Definitely a Cylon victory.

*_Cylon Colony_ (Consensus Room)*

"Well," Caprica began as she read over the post-battle report, "the cloaking device works, our virus is once again effective, the upgraded Baseships proved to be very useful, their shields held quiet well, and the plasma cannons proved to be far more lethal against their shields than our nukes. All-in-all, my brothers and sisters, I believe the Cylons are well on their way to defeating these Jaffa. Congratulations all around!"

"Yes, we've managed to hold the planet and test our new upgrades. Now the question is, 'where do we go from here?' Naquadah is the key to everything and we are running out," Cavil pointed out.

"If that's not bad enough, we're also running low on tylium," D'Anna added. "Since the Colonials took the only mine we had that was conceivably nearby then nuked the entire stockpile into uselessness on their way out, we need to either find more, or make our ships run off of naquadah, but, as Brother Cavil has said, we are running out of that quickly as well."

"We've set aside enough naquadah to finish upgrading the_ Colony_," Boomer said. "If we devote all of our time to finishing that project we'll be in a position to leave the fleet here while we use the_ Colony_ to search for one fuel source or the other. With the_ Colony_ running off of Naquadah Generators and our newly advanced jump-drives, we'll be able make bigger jumps with more accuracy and take less energy to do so. With the new weapons, armor, shields, and cloaking technologies along with our existing mining equipment we'll be able to defend against attack and find the fuel we need to get the fleet moving again."

"Before you protest, Brother Cavil, we can have the Raiders' tylium supplies supplemented by the Baseships' supplies so that they can jump inside of the enemy's shields and destroy them that way as well. Or, since the virus is working again, we can just take the enemy ships for ourselves and use them to scout out the resources we need while we hide and use what we have to continue our advancements. Once the captured fleet reports back with the information we need to jump the fleet to the next tylium or naquadah source, we can mobilize then," Caprica quickly added.

"It seems logical, but I'd rather just continue mining this planet for all its worth, while the Ha'tak we've captured search for the resources we need. Once the mine is truly depleted, I vote we hide the fleet by the system's star where the solar collectors can help keep us going," D'Anna commented.

"Jumping from star to star collecting energy like that could take us weeks to leave this cluster alone!" Cavil sneered.

"You have a better idea?" D'Anna countered. When Cavil offered no better option, the vote was cast.

Consensus decided on a mix of all the proposed plans. The captured fleet would be manned by Centurions, since the Resurrection Ships couldn't keep up with the Ha'tak and the Centurions were viewed as expendable, and sent looking for one needed resource or another. Ninety percent of the Cylon workforce would be devoted to finishing the_ Colony_ while the other ten percent would mine the planet for all it was worth. This left the Baseships' upgrades on hold until further notice.

Eighty percent of the fleet would be at the system's star gathering energy in power cells that could be handed off from one ship to another. Once their cells were done charging, they would fly back using sub-light engines, as jumping was restricted for when needed only, and exchange them for depleted ones then fly back to star to repeat the process. The other twenty percent of the fleet would stand guard over the_ Colony_ until its upgrades were complete. The Cylons were settling in for a long campaign.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Third Gas Giant from the Star (Lunar Orbit)**

*Zeta Site (Rumble Dome) [forty-eight hours after the Battle for Earth]*

So named for both its shape and tendency to be constantly shaken by explosions, the Rumble Dome was the room used to test new weapon designs and allowed people to blow off steam in organized fights. Today, the Rumble Dome was playing host to a battle between three people with extraordinary abilities.

Sieon's body glowed a deep shade of blue, purple, and black mixed together in a magnificent cacophony of power. That swirling aura of power around his body seeped into the rocks beneath him before, with a heave and a kick, the Furling sent a rock the size of tank flying across the large cavern. With a nimbus of bright, blazing blues like the ever shifting color of flames consuming her body, Jack shouted a profanity before slamming her fist through that rock. A cloud of dust consumed her as she pulverized the boulder before moving forward. She crossed twenty meters in a single step, as usual, but with a new twist. This time, her body left a streak of red light in the wake of its passing. 'Red Shifting,' as Sieon had called it, allowed that twenty meters to be crossed more quickly. As such, Jack was moving at the speed of red light waves.

To those watching them fight, Jack stood in two places at once as her body moved faster than their eyes could see. Then, with a boom of air slamming back together in the wake of her passage, she was standing in a new location. With another shout, this one a war cry, she 'Charged,' for this was the term Sieon had taught them for such an ability, forward and slammed her glowing fist into Sieon 'Biotic Barrier,' another Furling term taught to them to simplify explanations. Uniformity had a way of simplifying most things.

Sieon, despite Jack's best efforts, caught her fist in his hand. Never one to be so easily beaten, Jack used what was left of her arrested momentum and swung her foot up. Sieon caught that too and held her there, her left wrist in one hand, her right ankle in the other. With a smirk, the Furling drew in a deep breath and readied an attack.

In a flash of silver and a blur of blue light, 'Blue Shifting' according to Sieon, Ry slid across the ground and took the alien's feet out from under him with all the speed of blue light waves which traveled faster than red and slower than green which, in turn, is slower than white light (because keeping up with all of that **isn't** a headache waiting to happen). As the practically invincible alien fell to the ground and Ry rose from his slide, Jack landed on her feet and gathered the Furling in another biotic field. She threw Sieon into the ceiling with a crunch then slammed him into the ground with the force of an SR's original main gun firing.

Shrugging off the blow that hadn't managed to make so much as a dent in his Barrier, but did leave a lattice of cracks in the solid rock beneath his impact site, Sieon flicked his wrist at Jack and the woman was sent flying away from him on a Shockwave of biotic force that rolled across the ground and kicked up dust in the wake of its passage. As he spun to his feet like a break-dancer, Sieon gathered his biotic energy at his heels and sent a pulse of energy radiating out from his spin. This one caught Ry in the chest, but his body was covered by a silver Barrier much the same as Sieon's own, albeit a different color.

After stumbling back a few steps, Ry gathered the glow in his hands and, punching the air like a shadowboxer, sent first one then another orb of energy flying at the Furling. The first was what Sieon called a 'Warp.' It worked by distorting space-time in a localized field and tore matter apart on the molecular level. The second was a simple 'Throw' field that was similar to being punched in the impact site by a fully-loaded freight train moving at one-hundred-sixty miles per hour. As Sieon had informed them, a constant effect like a Warp, Pull, Lift, Singularity or several other higher moves that neither of the Humans had mastered yet, being hit by a Throw, Shockwave, Flare, or Kick caused the constant field to destabilize enough to detonate with added force.

Thusly affected, Sieon flew across the Rumble Dome and slammed into the far wall not a dozen meters from where he had sent Jack to the same fate. With another blue-shifted Charge that left a silver trail in his wake, Ry was flying at the Furling, his body in two-places at once, but, despite a dozen hours of intensive training, Sieon was still the only master biotic present, which, admittedly, made sense. The Furling was, after all, several million years old. With a shimmer that ran the length of his entire body, Sieon's physical form seemed to melt away and become immaterial. As such, Ry's fist, glowing with great force, passed through the Furling's not-physical-body and buried itself so deep in the wall that even his elbow was encased in stone.

Floating like a cloud upon the breeze, Sieon's body was forced away from Ry by the impact then shimmered again as he put his body back together. He then spun, foot glowing forcefully, and aimed a kick at Ry's armored kidneys. His foot made it to within an inch of impacting the immobile man when a thread of energy latched itself to his ankle. The other end of that 'Thread' was held in Jack's hand, her body glowing as she pulled against the alien's superior physical and biotic strength in a bid to keep him from delivering the blow that would surely bypass Ry's armor and take him out of the fight.

With a deep glow that made the man hard to see through the thick nimbus of swirling silver, Ry forced his effort into directing his power until the rock that encased his arm exploded outward in fragments of stone. Forgoing an attack, he planted one foot in the hole that his impact and escape had left in the wall then Charged vertically into the air. As he did, Jack let her Thread go and Sieon's foot passed through where Ry's body had been, a mere centimeter between Ry's heel and Sieon's toe that glowed with entropic force. When he reached the apex of his flight, Ry placed his hand on the wall and pushed off. With another boom, his fall became a more reasonable downward drift as the Human landed thirty meters behind where Jack and Sieon were, even now, exchanging a series of biotic attacks.

When she took one too many hits and her barrier threatened to collapse, Jack slammed her foot down and pulled up with her hands. A section of stone torn free of the surrounding rock rose up in a half-wall that she quickly ducked behind. Sieon, unhindered by such a meager thing as solid stone, widened his stance, planted his feet, and started moving his arms in graceful arcs. As he did, the glow of his biotics began to trail behind his movements as the power on his fingertips reached so great a level that even the master biotic had difficulty controlling it.

That was bad news no matter the way you told it.

Ry Charged again, twenty meters crossed in a single step, and Sieon brought his arms before his chest as the power ran across his body and gathered in one three-fingered hand. As that arm reached forward, power still flowing but this time with the obvious intent to be released all at once, Ry took another step, his body glowing, and the world around him slowed. The bolt of biotic energy surged towards where Jack was hiding behind a low wall of stone, unaware of her danger, but Ry was ahead of it… barely.

He grabbed Jack with a Thread of his own that latched onto her scalp and flew past her all at the same time. As he did, the Thread drew taut and drug her behind him. Jack's toes passed through the danger zone so narrowly to the bolt that blasted through the rock that her Barrier and the Bolt of raw power exchanged energy. The Bolt arced out and sent tendrils of power up her body. Her Barrier, barely restored to something akin to half strength, took the brunt of the blow, but still left a partial amount of a fraction of the attack to course through her body.

Even that amount was enough to cause her face to twist into a rictus of pain and agony. Ry, upon finishing his Charge, released his hold on the nearly three-hundred year-old woman in a twenty year-old woman's body and turned to face the alien attacking them.

"You're a quick study, I'll give you that," Sieon said with an approving nod.

"And you are a most ill-equipped instructor," Ry replied as he settled into a stance that would give him mobility in any direction he required at a moment's notice.

"I never was one for teaching," Sieon said with an indifferent shrug. He then moved his arm in a single sweeping motion at waste level, all of his biotic power conforming to his will.

The energy left his fingertips in a brilliant and graceful arc that moved towards Ry like a massive knife in flight. Responding the one way his damaged mind figured the Furling would least expect, Ry threw his hands down formed into fists and forced the rock beneath him to do the same. The biotic field compressed the stone as much as it could and sunk the Human into the ground until only his chest and above was left not in the hole. He then threw his fists forward in that same fashion and sent a Shockwave **through** the stone instead of **over** it.

The stone exploded into fragments that flew into the air propelled by his biotics. As they flew, Sieon's arc of energy cut through them with a disturbing ease, but Ry was below the attack and thusly safe. Sieon, however, was directly in the focus of Ry's counterattack. The razor-sharp stones exploded forth from the ground and pelted the Furling en mass. As the energy of his biotics had been largely spent in the 'Bolt' and 'Sweeping Blade,' as Ry was calling them in his head, Sieon's Barrier collapsed under the onslaught of fragments and he was forced to throw his armored hands over his unprotected face to prevent his eyes from being impaled.

As the fragments finished falling, Ry was moving. He jumped out of his hole and Charged forward to deliver his first successful punch to the Furling's gut. The blow landed with all the force he could muster in his worn-out state, but was more than enough to double the Furling over in pain. A quick, non-biotic elbow to the back of the Furling's head, non-biotic because Ry was not a cruel man and would not inflict unrepairable damage to a man already suffering from a head wound, was enough to topple the Ancient alien over. Quickly regathering the very last of his energy, Ry locked the Furling in a skin-tight biotic field that prevented bodily movement; a move Sieon called a 'Stasis Field' despite the fact that it did nothing to keep someone alive. As he did, a round of applause went up from the crowd observing the battle from the safety of the shield-covered, stadium-like seating off to one side.

Ry, despite his damaged mind, smiled to himself. As he did, he let the Stasis Field dissolve and walked over to where Jack was picking herself up. He offered her a hand which, despite her usually over-aggressive attitude towards everyone who wasn't Tommy or Oliver, she accepted with a grunt. The two Humans then walked towards the door to the room, their Furling mentor following behind with a slight limp.

That was unexpected. Sieon was considered to be the most powerful organic known to the Human race ranked directly under an Ascended Being. To have been so injured…

Ry's mind then had an 'ah ha,' moment as he remembered the head wound. The Furling was still incapable of reading minds while his brain healed. He had not seen Ry's attack coming as he normally would have. Having been able to read minds their whole lives, it made sense that a Furling thusly afflicted would be less than ably capable to read the body language of a member of an alien species.

As they exited the Rumble Dome, Ry slightly supporting Jack's still shaken form, they entered the medical care center that was across the hall. Sieon sat in a chair near a device that he had pulled from the Archives and built using a few scrap pieces he found around the base while Ry stooped low, swept Jack off her feet, and laid her on the bed. She had stopped complaining about his help after their fourth battle against Sieon when the Furling had broken her leg… by accident… **mostly** by accident. Now, she had three people that she was not openly hostile to and Ry was, oddly enough, honored to be amongst them.

"How's the head?" Oliver asked from the other side of the room where another door led to another hall way.

To make access easier, the medical care facilities were located near the center of the facility and had four doors leading into it so that you could reach it easily from any direction. Oliver appeared from the door that led towards the mines, his question, oddly enough (though Ry found it odd that he was capable of finding anything to be anything short of nothing after his encounter with the Furling machine that had so afflicted him), was directed at Ry and not the Furling.

"I do not understand the context of the question," Ry replied stoically. Having been stricken of his emotions by the machine that made him a biotic, it was, once again, odd that Ry could find something odd. It was also odd that he kept rethinking things. And finding things to be 'odd.' That was also odd. And he was rethinking things again. How strange…

"You've been acting different lately," Oliver observed.

"Have I?" Ry asked simply.

In a motion so fluid and quick that Ry immediately concluded it was muscle memory drilled into him by his instructors, whoever they may be, Oliver reached to his belt and drew, not a knife as Ry might've expected of the child-archer-turned-assassin-turned-soldier, but a phone. There was a brief flash of light as a picture was taken then Oliver walked over and showed Ry the subject of the image. He stared at the picture contemplatively, then Oliver lowered a mirror down that allowed him to see his face as he looked at a picture of his face. In the picture, he had a bemused look on his face. In his reflection, there was a look of shock on his features.

"That… should not be possible," Ry observed, his reflection now showing confusion on his face despite his voice not changing.

"You told me to stabilize him," Sieon said simply from where he sat with a needle in his arm that the machine he sat under was using to administer some type of treatment. "I did the best I could."

"You actually fixed his emotional processors?" Oliver asked, the Italian's face now the one a mask of confusion. "Our best medical minds told us that was impossible."

"Furling medicine is still far in advance to your own," Sieon replied as the needle was withdrawn from his arm and his skin could be seen moving as something beneath it did the same and caused the affect.

"You have implanted nannites in my brain," Ry observed.

"Yes," Sieon confirmed as the nannites in his arm moved up his appendage and towards his swollen brain, "but, when we use them for medical purposes, we call them 'nannomites.' When used for construction, we call them 'nannotrites.' Only when they are programed to simply replicate are they called nannites."

"They're not harmful to him, are they?" Oliver asked.

"Not unless you find an entity greater in strength than Furling AI-programmed firewalls," Sieon replied simply as he rubbed at his head for a few seconds. Once the pain of having small robots crawling around in his skull subsided, Sieon asked, "Are you going to allow me access to the computer now?" in a tone of voice closer to what he sounded like when SG-1 first met him.

"You have the boxes?" Oliver asked.

"Of course."

"And you've given Miguel what he needs to continue their treatments?"

"This machine will stay with you, and has been programed to do as you need it to."

"Then follow me," Oliver said before walking away.

*Zeta Site (Black Bunker)*

All it took was his presence. Sieon's foot… not even that, his **toe** entered the Bunker and the entire thing came to life. As he stepped fully into the facility, Oliver behind him, the Black Bunker began to hum and the lighting that was implanted into the walls in patterns that Gabi had determined to be a form of data storage (Furlings were indeed a strange race) changed from the varying shades of green that they had been since the Humans found the bunker and began to glow blue, orange, purple, green, white, red, and yellow. A rainbow of colors as different systems came online and the Data Lines, again, a name Gabi had informed them of after her exposure to the Device, began feeding different information to the various new systems.

'_Furling technology is weird,'_ Oliver noted to himself as he followed the Furling himself into the Bunker.

"This is in line with what I would've expected," Sieon noted with a nod.

"Nice bunker you've got here," Oliver agreed with a nod.

"It's not a bunker," Sieon replied with a shake of his head. "You Humans have a problem with assuming that too often."

"This is a ship?!" Oliver asked in a shocked tone.

"Why else would it be equipped with a Furling FTL drive?" Sieon asked rhetorically. He then reached out and touched the machine that had caused them so much trouble over the past three years. Sieon's body glowed and the light seemed to leave his body to enter the machine. The device, in response to that energy, flared to life despite the fact that they had literally cut its power lines to prevent it from doing anything to the others that came down here on a daily basis.

As it did, Oliver noted something he thought to be as impossible as the machine turning on in its current state. Sieon's hand was bleeding where one of his fingers had been cut by the shards of rock. That was something that warranted study, so Oliver stepped forward to better enter the bunker-that-was-really-a-ship and pointed around the corner.

"The computer is that way," Oliver said and the Furling turned away from the machine to go the suggested direction. As he did, the machine stopped glowing. Only then did Oliver reach towards the machine, a handkerchief covering his ungloved hand, to wipe the blood onto the cloth before tucking it into his pocket, the blood protected from the fabric of his jeans by the rest of the handkerchief.

Sieon had, by now, only taken two steps away from him. With one step of his own, Oliver moved to follow the Furling, but there was a growing hum beside him followed by a pulse of distortion that he knew all too well. His eyes went wide as bunched the muscles in his legs and prepared to jump away from the Device. He didn't even finish coiling his muscles before he was being torn from his feet and dangled before the Device. Just like the two before him, the Device did as it was programmed to and began altering his body on the base level of his genetic structure.


	35. When Lies Become the Truth

**Author's note on yesterday's chapter:**

I hate leaving these things, but a vital mistake was made and pointed out to me, so here's me addressing this vial mistake. In the previous chapter, I wrote that, "In a flash of silver and a blur of blue light, 'Blue Shifting' according to Sieon, Ry slid across the ground and took the alien's feet out from under him with all the speed of blue light waves which traveled faster than red and slower than green which, in turn, is slower than white light (because keeping up with all of that isn't a headache waiting to happen)."

Okay, serious blunder there. I know light is light, but different wavelengths do travel FURTHER not FASTER! I totally messed that up. The speed of light (299,792,458 meters per second) is the speed of light IN A VACUUM (that means space). The trick to the 'levels' of a biotic Charge is the wavelength, not the speed. In real-world physics and Mass Effect (which biotics are based off of) it's clearly stated that different wavelengths retain their energy to varying levels of efficiency over greater distances. White-light travels the furthest followed by green, then blue, then red because they're the three primary colors of light (confusing, I know, because "primary colors" normally means red, blue, and yellow to most of us). Re-explained, the different wavelengths, or colors of light, travel different distances at the same speed.

THE FOLLOWING IS **MY** SPIN ON PHYSICS TOO COMPLICATED FOR ME TO FULLY UNDERSTAND:

When you red-shift, you travel twenty meters in a single step. When you blue-shift, you travel thirty meters in a single shift. When you green-shift, you travel forty meters in a single step. When you white-shift (a level of biotic mastery so high even Sieon can't do it), you travel sixty meters in a single step. The significance here is that the wavelengths retain more energy as you improve your level of mastery. If you can blue-shift (which every standard Vanguard in Mass Effect can do post-Mass Effect 2) you carry more energy into your attack than if you red-shift. More energy means a stronger shockwave at the end of the Charge.

So, in summary, red, blue, green, and white are the same speed, but carry more energy making for a more lethal charge. Therefore, the previous chapter has been edited, and this author's note has been added to explain why it was. A quick thanks to Kaderos who caught the mistake, and quick apology for having made it in the first place.

**Author's note on today's chapter:**

Simply out of fairness of warning, this chapter will skip through time without giving you an accurate measure of time passage. I did that on purpose, so don't shoot me. Also, I forewent my usual style of writing for this chapter. There's no 'location markers' or 'time stamps.' I did that on purpose as well. This is a sort of 'miniseries' devoted to disclosure. I did it this way because it wouldn't flow properly any other way.

Chapter 34

When Lies Become the Truth

* * *

><p>Things were finally going good for the Colonial Remnant. Sure they had lost the <em>Odyssey<em> and the remainder of the people from her crew had taken the Baseship ahead of them to Earth and that had been some time ago, but their situation was still looking up. After losing the election to none other than Baltar-the-Madman himself, Laura had decided to just frak it all and became a teacher again. Now the only thing left to do was build a school! That was proving to be easier than she thought it would be as everyone wanted their children to be educated.

Yup, life was good. Without the stress of politics constantly crowding her schedule and keeping her up all hours of the night, Laura was able to enjoy some of life's more simple pleasures. Her favorite was something called a 'social life.' Tori Foster, her new 'presidential aid' who had been assigned to her after the regrettable loss of Billy to the Cylon missile that hit the ship he had been on at that tragic moment, Laura had found herself quickly befriending the dark-skinned woman. The two then up and quit when Baltar took office and Tori now spent her days as Laura's teacher's assistant and best friend. Laura's other favorite thing was her frequent trips back up to _Galactica_ to visit with William Adama, the man she found herself quickly falling for. It was roughly their second month on New Caprica and Laura, once again, found herself getting ready for another trip up to orbit, this time for a… 'special occasion.'

"Ah, I see someone has another hot date tonight," Tori said as she walked into Laura's tent.

The mining ships were still gathering resources from the surrounding areas to make true buildings, and, until they were done, tents were all they had unless they chose to stay in the ships, an idea not a lot of people liked, though several of the smaller ships, including _Colonial One_, had been landed on the planet to provide shelter from storms until houses were built. The main problem was the presence of strange minerals on New Caprica. They had found a deposit of an iron-like material that was both stronger and lighter than anything they had found back home. It was nearly impossible to mine with their equipment being in the state it is, and repairing the equipment to a standard to be capable of mining the mineral couldn't be done until they had more iron. As such, they left the mysterious deposit unmined and went looking for iron.

"Well, no one's actually made anything official, so it's not a date," Laura said with a small giggle.

"Laura, all men are the same. They're not going to do anything until **you make** **them**," Tori said as she helped Laura pin her hair up. "If you want this to go any further than it already has, you're going to have to make him make it official."

"Tori, sweet Tori, you're so naïve," Laura laughed.

* * *

><p>"Laura, poor Laura, you think <strong>I'm<strong> naïve? Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Tori countered as she turned Laura to see herself in the mirror. "You're glowing. If he makes you that happy… Laura, you need to do something, or I will."

In another fit of giggles, Laura said, "No, it'll happen when it happens. And besides, you can't make Adama men do anything they don't want to."

"Well then maybe you should drop bigger hints," Tori suggested as she undid a couple of Laura's shirt's buttons.

"Tori!" Laura squeaked.

Admiral William Adama was getting ready for a date… that wasn't really a date. With the _Galactica_ in the capable hands of the now sober Colonel Saul Tigh, happily reunited with his wife who turned up in the fleet seemingly at random, Adama had decided to have this next date-that-was-not-really-a-date aboard _Cloud Nine_. The ship had been saved from certain destruction, barely and with no small amount of luck, when they had escaped Kobol by the skin of their teeth. The ship had taken a hit and lost a few people, the former-President's former aid included, but the ship managed to jump away before the next missile could hit. After being repaired, she now served as a sort of high-end resort for people wanting to get away from the construction sites on the planet.

As the ones responsible for getting them this far, William Adama and Laura Roslin were welcome VIP members aboard the luxury ship, and indeed any ship in the fleet. Sitting at his table waiting for his date-that-was-not-really-a-date to begin, Adama was greeted by Starbuck and her usual enthusiasm.

"So, when are you going to pop the question?" Starbuck taunted the old man.

"What are you talking about, Starbuck?" Adama asked dryly.

"When are you going to ask her to marry you?" Starbuck said very slowly.

"A bit early for that, don't you think?" Adama replied.

"Oh, come on! Don't give me that crap! You two have had a connection since you met. Granted there were rough spots, but, then again, every relationship has them. At least ask her out on a real date so that you can say y'all are dating for frak's sake! I'm tired of all this 'it's not really date' crap! Trust me, she'll say yes," Starbuck said, getting up as she saw Laura enter the room.

"To which one?" Adama asked her as Kara headed towards the bar.

With one of her characteristic laughs, Starbucks said, "Both!" as she ran off with Sam, the man who had been rescued from the Colonies with nearly two-thousand other people during a daring move by the Tau'ri to get the Arrow of Apollo.

"Kara, always the wild child," Laura said as she sat down opposite her 'date.' A moment of silence followed her words and Laura could tell that Bill was thinking about something. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Will you marry me?" Bill asked in his gruff voice, finally looking up to meet her eyes.

Laura tipped to one side as her head spun and Bill moved to catch her. As she stabilized herself on the table, Laura asked, "What?" in an astonished tone.

Getting down on one knee, holding her hand in his, and offering her his old wedding ring, Bill asked again, "Will you marry me?" while putting the ring on her finger.

A heart's beat separated the moment between the question and the answer. "Damn, Tori was right!" Laura whispered to herself. Realizing that she still had Adama kneeling in front of her waiting for an answer, Laura quickly added, "Yes! By the Gods yes!" The blanket of silence no one was aware had fallen was pulled off and the restaurant erupted into applause. This would make the news by the end of the hour, Laura was sure of that much.

She also didn't give a frak.

Jogging over, Kara said to the old man, "I didn't mean now!" before hugging and congratulating both of them. After the proposal, both of them found their appetites to be missing, and, instead, spent the evening walking the gardens of _Cloud Nine_'s botanical habitats and talking about everything that was good in life. Needless to say, they had many good things to say.

* * *

><p>"For those of you just joining us, welcome. We're just getting ready to air a video sent in to us from a viewer."<p>

The image of the newscaster was promptly replaced by a video obviously taken with a cellphone. What it showed, regardless of quality, was as obvious as the fact that a cellphone had been used to capture the images. There was something large, powerful, and hostile hovering in the skies above a desert. The small facility off to one side of the engagement led those watching to believe this was Area 51. When beams of golden light left the attacking monstrosity hanging in the sky, the people of the world could only watch on in horror and fascination as the base was protected by a bubble of energy.

The camera shifted as another ship came roaring out of the clouds. This one let loose a swarm of glowing missiles that cut through the enemy fighters and impacted another bubble of energy that protected the attacking ship. The two ships exchanged fire for only a second before the newcomer got one of its missiles past the aggressor's bubble. The aggressor exploded and the video was terminated by a flash of bright light followed by darkness and moving shadows before a sound was heard and the video cut off to nothingness.

"Let's see that last part again," the newscaster said as the video was rewound.

This time, as the resulting explosion began to spread, the video slowed to a crawl. As the explosion slammed down towards them, the immediate vicinity of Area 51, now behind the camera-person as the unknown wielder of the camera ran for their life, glowed brightly as the explosion was held back by the invisible bubble that covered it. Then the flash of light began, obviously before the camera-person could be touched by a wave of energy the likes of which would be instant death, and darkness took over the screen again. As the darkness filled the screen, however, image enhancement technology cleared up the picture and made it possible to see the camera-person standing in a room with other civilians with armed soldiers taking their phones and other electric devices.

"We'll be taking comments and questions from the viewers now," the newscaster said. Almost immediately a line of text started scrolling across the bottom of the screen as people 'Tweeted' their questions and comments in to the news network. "Kitty_gurl_722 asks, 'Why are people so against this? We all knew that aliens were real.' To answer your question, Kitty, it's the principle of the fact. The government has lied to us and that's not what America's about.

The newscast then continued with more questions, answers, and comments.

As they did, a certain man watching the screen huffed sarcastically. "'Not what America's about'? Ha! Every government lies to its people."

* * *

><p>"And you're sure this flaming hunk of scrap metal will hold together?" Jack asked as Sam sat in the Control Chair.<p>

"_I take offense to that!"_ Widget shot back jokingly, but Jack ignored the AI.

"Long enough for us to make orbit, yes," Sam replied, likewise ignoring the AI.

"And then what?" Jack asked as he strapped himself down for the ride.

"_Then we stop taking on water and repairing the hull becomes a thousand times easier,"_ Widget answered, his tones back to being serious.

"Then why didn't you do it sooner?"

"The engines were damaged during the battle. We had to get the anti-proton thrusters that were still in one piece back online, and replace the ones that weren't with our own engines," Sam explained before hitting the ship-wide comms system. "All hands brace for take-off," Sam said. She then waited two minutes to be sure everyone had time to get secure then fired the mixture of freshly repaired and newly installed engines.

From his place sitting off to the side of the CIC where he could see the holographic image of the ship that encased the Control Chair during operations, Jack could easily tell which engines were which. The Human-designed engines flared to life and left a great cloud of steam in their wake as they pushed against gravity and took to the skies. The Furling-designed engines, on the other hand, left a trail of faintly sparkling destroyed matter in their wake. Sam would later describe this to him as what was left of the protons after they collided together to provide thrust. Working in tandem, the engines lifted the reduced mass of the _Nex_ into the air before firing up to full power and pushing the massive ship into orbit with obvious strain.

This was sure to make the news by nightfall local time. They were, after all, only a few miles off the coast of Australia. That put them well within view of the cameras that lined the shore watching the ship as the Australian newscasters did a piece on what they **thought** was going on.

As the _Nex_ broke out of the atmosphere and pulled free of Earth's gravity well, the holographic image changing as they moved, the shimmering field that had surrounded the ship since it landed in the oceans of Earth finally shut off. As it did, gravity in the ship shifted as the mass of the _Nex_ became a factor in artificial gravity generation and the hull of the ship groaned in protest as its mass went back to its actual amount and natural gravity's effect on it was increased as a result. Then they pulled further out into space and only the moon's gravity was left to affect the ship as they established a stable orbit of Earth's sole natural satellite.

"The nannites held?" Jack asked.

Sam, eyes still closed, brought up a holographic reading for the General to read. "Looks like it," she replied as she opened her eyes, sat up, and rubbed her aching legs. She felt like she'd just ran a marathon without proper training. Her legs were on fire! "Now all we have to do is start shuttling up the supplies we'll need."

"And you can get it repaired in just a couple of months?" The skepticism in his tone wasn't lost on the woman.

"We'll be pulling the _Nex_'s repair drones away from the rest of the fleet, but yes," Sam replied.

"Why?" Jack asked with a note of concern to his tone.

"Because the repairs the _Daedalus_ needs to be operational again can only be done in a slip, the _Odyssey_ is nearly done being repaired by the drones and that gives us a ship capable of leaving the system to hunt for supplies, the _Apollo_ is resting in the newly upgraded slip being readied for its upgrade to an _Achilles_, the _Cursor_'s repairs are being done by hand because of the sensitive nature of them and the ship is currently upgrading Area 51's other slips, the _Gaia_ is getting readied for our attempt to land it at the Artic Weapons Platform where the Ancients' own drones can fix their own ship, _Atlantis_ is already docked with the Artic Weapons Platform being upgraded and repaired by the systems that built her, and the _Ares_ went back to the Alpha Site for her own series of upgrades and repairs. Right now the _Nex_ needs the repair drones more than any of the other ships do because we don't know how to fix Furling systems and the drones do," Sam replied matter-of-factly while walking around the CIC and checking various terminals while stretching her aching muscles.

Before Jack could reply to that, Widget's eyes went wide and Sam flinched. "What broke?" she asked, her tone full of dread.

"_I think I did,"_ Widget replied, his tone serious, distant, hopeful, and shocked all at the same time. _"Either that, or the universe has finally decided to stop being a cold-hearted bitch."_

"What happened?" Jack asked. To answer his question, a line of text appeared in midair with the label 'Text-Only Message Forwarded from General Landry, Stargate Command.'

Jack's jaw dropped and Sam's heart stopped beating for a small eternity.

* * *

><p>"Today we have another disturbing revelation coming through in the aftermath of the battle in orbit a few days ago," the newscaster began as they went live. "This time, we have undeniable proof that Earth's militaries were, in fact, involved in the battle. Roll tape."<p>

The ship that flew past the camera, this one shot from the Hubble Space Telescope itself which had, unfortunately, been destroyed during the battle (the Air Force was catching flak for that one), was small and designed in a fashion very Earth-like. It had obvious hangar bays, and, far more tellingly, the name _Apollo_ was proudly emblazoned on its hull. Then another ship, this one an exact copy of the _Apollo_, flew past the camera even closer to the telescope's lens and the letters 'USAF' painted on its hull served as a rather disturbing revelation to the other countries of Earth not already in on the Stargate Alliance.

The two ships then flew away from the satellite that was watching them and fired brilliant blue beams of energy at their attackers, proving that, not only did the United States Air Force have battleships that could reach orbit, but they also had obvious energy weapons and the same shields that had protected the mountain and desert complex that had also been attacked. The destruction they caused, however, paled in comparison to the awe-inspiring power of the ship they were flying with. The long vessel following in the wake of the two Earth ships outsized them by a remarkable margin and fired off more beams then Hubble's image quality would let them count.

The video was terminated by a blast as something even larger than that flying death machine was hit and hit **hard**! A beam of golden light bypassed what had once been a bubble of energy and hit the armor of the ship that was once protected by it, this one obviously alien and beautifully designed. A chunk of hull plating from the largest of the ships present in the system tumbled into orbit and slammed into the satellite that was floating above what had confirmed to be a shield around their planet. The Hubble Space Telescope flipped end over end, disorienting those watching its feed, before slamming into the shimmering barrier that protected Earth from orbital bombardment.

"One of our viewers asked a question on our Facebook page earlier today that sparked a rather heated debate, and now we want your opinion," the newscaster continued, seemingly undisturbed by the destruction of a piece of history. "We now know that, not only does alien life exist that's hostile to Earth, but that our own military has been developing technology to fight those aliens for what has to have been more than a few years. The question up for debate is, 'Should they have told us sooner?' We want your opinion, so logon to Facebook and look us up at Fox 4 News and let us know what you think."

* * *

><p>The changes to the city had been drastic, but well thought-out. After the AIs got control of the automated systems and halted the repairs that the drones would automatically make, a new design for <em>Atlantis<em> had been drafted. The first thing they did was repair the sections of the city that had been damaged by the ten-thousand year stint on the bottom of the oceans of Lantea. After that, they moved on to the damage done during the Battle for Earth then finished the instillation of the city's weapons grid. The bulk of the beam weapons had, frustratingly enough, been offline when the Ori attacked with only three of the weapons being operational during the fight. That problem had been solved along with the matter of interfacing the weapons with both the Control Chair and the Control Room's terminals. The ship could now be flown from the Control Room without needing someone in the chair, though the chair was still the best option for the obvious reason of the neural interface.

After those projected changes, more were made. The location Gate Room was both the first and the most drastic. Instead of being a few dozen meters from the Control Room, the AI that had been created after a scan was made of Weir's mind moved the Gate Room all the way across the city to the edge of one of the piers. Once there, the building housing the Gate itself was turned into a fortress. It had a Jumper Bay, yes, but also a larger hangar for more craft for when they either started producing more Jumpers or developed their own version of the Gate Ship. Aside from that, there were automated and manned weapons nests surrounding the Gate for added security and an independent generator that was a copy of the one the Asgard installed in the SGC. With the ability to dial intergalacticly without burning-up ZPM power and a smaller, portable version of this generator, a team had been sent back through the Gate to the Pegasus Alpha Site. They had left a lot of people behind in their haste to reinforce Earth, and that oversight had to be rectified which meant that they had to send over a technician to hack the DHD and make dialing intergalacticly possible without _Atlantis_' control crystal.

One of the most drastic changes to the Gate Room, in Weir's opinion, was the addition of explosive charges planted at the base of the tower that now housed it. The tower had a beaming system run by a dedicated VI that would only beam out people with the subdermal implants that were standard issue for the SG teams of both galaxies. With this failsafe in place, if the Gate Room was ever taken, the defenders would be beamed out and the charges would detonate. The entire tower, Jumper Bay, Gate Room, and anything or anyone left inside, would be left to plummet into the oceans of New Lantea, if they ever went back, crash into the ice of the arctic tundra they now called home, or be left drifting in space should such an event ever occur during the ship's time in orbit of a planet.

Aside from the massive changes to the Gate Room and the weapons grid, there were several other major difference in the new design of the city. The main piers of the city were scheduled to be hollowed out to allow large caverns to be built there. Equipped with the Asgard's matter converters, these would be the city's means of maintaining any ship that was backing them in Pegasus. Thusly upgraded, the next time the _Daedalus_ got into a fight with a star, as was their most recent battle, or a pair of Hives, like during the Battle of the Void, their repairs would be easier to make. The minor piers were also going to be hollowed out and turned into massive ecologies to help sustain the city's need for fresh food since they had yet to thoroughly explore the Main Land on New Lantea because of the limited time they spent there.

The final change to the city was then the means to sustain the others. With all those weapons, matter converters, hangar bays, ecologies, and everything else that had either been done or would be done before the city relaunched, there was a radical increase in the need for power. Since they all realized the power, value, and importance of their small number of ZPMs, the city had been given six Neutrino Ion Generators, all installed at the crook where the piers met the main section of the city. Adding to this were the three Neutrino Ion Generators that Colonel Carter, Doctor McKay, and the assembled minds of the SGC and the _Atlantis_ Expedition managed to design with the help of the AIs. This was dubbed the Neutrino Ion Generator Mark II and had three times the power output of the standard Asgard variant. These advances were made using the Asgard's base knowledge combined with Furling power production methods and the limited information they had on how ZPMs worked.

The NIG Mark IIs were used to power the matter converters primarily, but not exclusively. The power from the six NIG Mark Is in the Main Tower and the three Mark IIs in the hangars could easily be channeled back into the shields or weapons as needed. This entirely freed them from their reliance on the ZPMs as the Neutrino Ion Generators, both newer and older models, were more than enough to power the shield and stardrive simultaneously. The main reason they kept the valuable sources of power was actually a simple one. If they needed to fly through space, repair a ship, hold off an attack, and return fire all at once, the Neutrino Ion Generators would be hard-pressed to hold off more than two Hiveships and their escorts at once under those likely-never-to-arise conditions. Still, it was a smart move and even a non-military-minded person like Weir could see the value in back-up generators more powerful than the twelve Mark II Naquadah Generators located throughout the city, though the irony of the fact that the ZPMs were now the backups was not lost on her.

All this and more ran through the politician's mind as she stood between Generals O'Neill and Landry with General Hammond beside Landry and various other people flanking her on either side. Present in force were all of the members of SG-1 past and present, excluding Jonas Quinn who was on his homeworld unaware of the changes to Earth, every General who had ever led the SGC, Weir, and her own Executive Officer. Waiting for them back in the Conference Room in the Main Tower were Richard Woolsey and the rest of the IOA delegation, and the President of the United States with a small entourage of other foreign delegates from such nations as Russia, Germany, and Great Britain who were all being briefed by McKay on several changes to occur in the past few days.

Finally, the Gate activated and the military members present not already straight-backed went even more ridged. Stepping out of the event horizon of the most advanced Stargate in this galaxy, and thusly the dominate Gate on Earth, was the man most directly responsible for their effective battle strategy during, and survival of, the first wave of the Ori assault on Earth. Accompanying him, much to the surprise of those lesser-informed amongst them, were another three Furlings.

"Then the report we got was accurate," Landry said with a nod. It was stiff, but was obviously a happy thought in his head.

"Indeed," Sieon replied with an easy smile, his head no longer bound in bandages and his steps no longer stumbling.

Behind the Furling delegation, two more aliens stepped through the Gate, their three-eyed helmets still latched securely over their heads and bodies still covered in thick armor. Weir raised an eyebrow at that. After the Battle for Earth when things were still calming down? Sure, she could understand wearing armor during a battle and not taking it off after the fact, but wearing it **now**? To a political summit of the leaders of the free galaxy, no less.

"They cannot breathe your atmosphere," Sieon said in way of explanation as he, as she had been informed their entire species was capable of doing, 'caught wind' of her line of thought.

"You're still talking kind of funny," Jack said as he shook the man's hand.

"'Healed' and 'healthy' are two different things, General," the woman beside and slightly behind him replied. "I'm still working on making one the other. Until then, his speech functions are still imbalanced and the machine I would've used to heal him fully was overloaded during a regrettable accident."

With a sigh, Landry turned to the Impolans and asked, "Who got zapped this time?" in their 'native language.' It was, of course, the work of the translators that the Zeta teams had reverse engineered from their Furling computers, but none present aside from that one-of-three-present Generals knew this.

"We cut the lines like you told us to," Jeramie replied in a series of clicks and other strange sounds. "That one **touched** the damned thing and it turned back on. We didn't know that was even possible, but Rana's been working with Oliver…"

"With **Oliver**?" Landry asked with a shake of his head.

"It is as it is sounds," Ry replied in that annoyingly stoic voice of his.

"He's determined to get back onto my shit-list, isn't he?"

"You can't blame him for this," Jeramie replied in a remarkably neutral tone. They had to keep up the appearance that the General wasn't on 'friendly terms' with them after all. If they spoke with tones that indicated they knew each other beyond a simple common cause and three years of working around one another, the Zeta Initiative could be exposed and that would be bad for Earth. They had done more than one thing that would warrant their allies turning on them, and that knowledge getting out could destroy Earth's lesser secure alliances. Granted those alliances were hardly worth keeping, but every friend you made out there was a planet that wasn't your enemy, and Earth has enough enemies as it is. "If you're going to blame anyone, blame the Furling that gave it power by touch."

"How bad is it this time?" Landry asked when he managed to get his temper under control.

"Not bad, actually," Jeramie replied with a casual, if awkwardly performed to help the show, shrug. "Ry's able to show emotional expressions on his face, even if they don't reach his voice, and his biotic training went quite well. Jack's been stabilized so that she's not tearing her body apart subconsciously anymore which means the only point to hunting down Nirrti's data at this point is destroying it. Gabi's mind has been forcefully evolved to the point that she can handle the information floating around in her head without the implant, but she's keeping it because, and here I quote, 'interfacing with computers is just too useful to lose,' which means she thinks it's too cool to give up."

"And Oliver?" Landry asked.

Jeramie shared a 'glance' with Ry, as much as two people wearing face-concealing helmets could, before eyeing the people present. Stepping to a side of the room where there was a low wall used to provide cover for guards, Jeramie opened his mouth, or Landry assumed he did, but Ry was the first to speak.

"He is still unconscious and under the care of three Furling medical practitioners who assure us that, at this point, his state of mind is what is preventing him from wakening. He must 'Walk the Path' to escape his dreams. I believe it is the Furling equivalent to reaffirming one's own self-worth."

Landry bit his tongue and tried not to shout. Since preventing the explosion was practically impossible, he walked away shaking his head vigorously.

"That went better than I expected," Jeramie nervously admitted to his counterpart.

"Only because there are others present," Ry said while waving his hand at the assembled delegates that were exchanging pleasantries and thanks.

The Humans thanked the Furlings for their help defending Earth, the Furlings thanked the Humans for waking up Sieon and freeing them from their self-imposed imprisonment as a result, and the group as a whole moved towards the only way to exit this tower. There were actually two ways, but one of them wasn't an option as the aliens didn't have the necessary implants to be beamed out of the tower. That meant they had to take a shuttle as the shuttles were the only other way out of the tower that was designed to be impenetrable. As such, they all walked up the stairs to the larger, and consequently higher up the tower, of the two hangar bays to find a Vulture hovering over their heads, a 'gravity lift' open at the back of the large craft. The gravity lift, as the Furlings would have called it, was actually an Asgard technology that was used so long ago the date of its creation was nearly incomprehensible to Human minds before the advent of the Ancients and their transport rings.

The Conference Room, like the Gate Room, was moved away from the Control Room, but only because the Control Room was moved away from the top of the control tower. Instead of being at the top of the tower where it was vulnerable to attack by a ship, the Control Room was at the base of the main tower placing it lower even than the ZPM room. Both the ZPM room and the Control Room had a secondary shield that covered them twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks in a year… you get the picture. This made hitting the city's two most vital areas with one blow that would cripple the entire ship practically impossible to do from the outside.

Weir's office was still right off of the New Control Room, which left the Old Control Room to serve as an enlarged Jumper Bay. The reason they now had three Jumper Bays and two of them were made significantly larger than before was actually simple. They were adding more Jumpers, giving the city a small number of Vultures, and even two-dozen or so Pelicans… once they had enough of the new gunships and dropships to do so. There were plans to more than triple the city's compliment of small craft for defensive purposes that would fill the new bay, the old bay, and the one that was under the city.

Aside from the relocation of the Control Room and the enlargement of both the Jumper Bay and Conference Room, not much had changed. The Holographic Interface Room where they had found Morgan La Fey impersonating a hologram was still in the same place. Also present in the modified level of the tower was a large, open area where they could entertain formal delegates, this being the former location where the Gate once stood. To accommodate this, the 'Conference Room' was really the entirety of the Old Control Room made into one flat room with a large table at the center, a holo-tank in the middle of that table, and was only one story tall as opposed to the two stories it had been when this floor was both the Gate Room and Control Room.

When the delegates entered the new Conference Room, they saw a projection of the city sitting in the middle of the table in the massive holo-tank. Several areas of the city were glowing different colors to indicate their state of repair or upgrade and Rodney McKay was standing at the heart of that hologram explaining their changes to those present. When he noticed the others entering, he hit a button on his tac-pad and the hologram disappeared. All eyes then turned to the newly arrived party.

"That makes everyone," Jack announced to which there were several sighs of relief.

From a hallway leading deeper into the city, guards that were armed but not actually carrying their weapons, led the other delegates into the room from where they were waiting for the Furlings to arrive. Once everyone was present and seated around the table, General Hammond began the process of introducing everyone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," General Hammond announced. "Representing the Furling Galactic Empire, I present to you the Grand High Councilor, Nele Galajifae, the current Scourge, Dokal Wy'H'ofacion, the Gaajli, Rana Synipulous, and a Former-Scourge, Sieon Synipulous. Scourge is a title given to the leader of the Furling Galactic Navy. Dokal Wy'H'ofacion is the Scourge who oversaw the Second Coming and Sieon is the Scourge who oversaw the Fall of the Furlings. Gaajli is a title given to the Chief Science Officer of the Furling Galactic Navy, and the Grand High Councilor should require no explanation.

"Representing the Impolan Authority are the Mimner and H'baxon," Hammond continued and Weir had to admit she was impressed the man managed to pronounce those name with such ease. "The Mimner is the leader of the Impolan people and, from what I understand, H'baxon is the Speaker for the People which is a form of ambassador."

Then turning to a second group of seated figures, Hammond began anew. "Representing the Tok'ra, who have been effectively stranded on Earth for the time being, are the High Councilor, Per'sus, former High Councilor, Garshaw of Belote, a leading scientific mind amongst the Tok'ra, Anise, and Delek…"

As Hammond continued the introduction, O'Neill leaned closed to Weir and asked, "Why do you think **he**'s here?"

"To give us hell," Weir replied in a frustrated tone. It was known by most present that Delek was strongly against the Tok'ra's continued relationship with the people of Earth. His presence would undoubtedly cause trouble.

"Representing the Nox are Anteaus, Lya, and Ohper," Hammond continued. "And the last group that will be joining us today is the Free Jaffa Nation represented by Master Bra'tac, Teal'c, and Cha'ra," Hammond finally finished introducing the aliens to the Humans before turning to the aliens and starting in on the last group. "Representing the interests of Earth, we have the President of the United States, one nation amongst many…"

The listing went on and Weir zoned-out as the politicians of Earth, who she already knew, were named and indicated. She hated this part of political gatherings. Sure it was usually the only part that didn't involve people yelling or insulting one another, but it was so boring and tiresome. Finally it came to an end.

"First order of business; welcome to Earth," Henry Hayes, the President of the United States, said with a warm smile.

"We can skip that part of this," the Mimner said irritably, armored arms crossed over an armored chest. "If I desired to be flattered by the masses and thanked incessantly I would have stayed seated on my throne."

In the privacy of his mind, for his mind truly was private, Landry smirked to himself. Oliver usually played the role of the Mimner and did so by being as arrogant as Goa'uld (which is to say his usual self), but with the added twist of not being insufferable… however he managed to pull that off, Landry would never be able to say. Even then, Jeramie certainly had the attitude down right. Either the act was one they all knew how to perform, or was easier than Landry thought.

"I second that," O'Neill said, earning him a glare from the two older Generals present.

"As do I," both Rana and Sieon said in unison. While a little disturbing, it made sense that a married couple capable of reading each other's minds would be in step with one another.

"You called us here for a purpose. I would know that purpose," Wy'H'ofacion agreed with a nod.

Overstepping the politicians that had just been shut down by the militaries represented by the assembled aliens, allies one and all, General Landry stood up and took the floor. "We are faced with a task that we cannot do alone without irreversible and undoubtedly negative side effects. For the past ten years, we've kept our involvement with aliens and galactic affairs a secret from the world we call home. That arrogance has finally caught up to us. When the Ori came, we were prepared to meet them in orbit, yes, but the ground assault that coincided with their bid for orbital dominance left a lot of wives and husbands widowed, children orphaned, and parents living the horrifying nightmare of outliving their progenies. A city bombarded by the Ori before our ships could intercept them succeeded in ending over two-thousand lives and left hundreds more wounded while their homes burned down around them. We failed them in more ways than one, and now we have to tell them why we did the things we did. You are here because it is our hope that you will help us in this time of despair. We stand on a precipice. On one side is mass rioting and chaos. On the other, a future worth having."

"**Allies to speak on your behalf?"** Delek asked. Surprisingly enough, his tone wasn't hostile. **"You wish for us to stand before the cameras of your reporters and justify what you have done?"** Here he paused before making his intentions clear. **"And what do we stand to gain in return?"**

"These people have taken you into their homes and allowed you to stay on a world not your own and you have the audacity to demand of them recompense for aid that you would be providing in return for their services rendered entirely in your favor?" Nele asked in a tone that was clearly shocked despite the somehow-still-neutral tone of his voice. This man was not only obviously a politician, he had obviously been one for a very, very, **very** long time! Turning to the Humans when no verbal answer was forthcoming from the Tok'ra in question, the Grand High Councilor of the remnant of the Furling race said, "You should abandon these parasites as allies and cast them from your world into a black hole."

"**You speak much for one so unknown,"** Delek countered heatedly which earned him a death glare from Garshaw and Per'sus. Anise seemed, to be too distracted to glare at the man.

"You sit at a table that houses representatives from three of the Five Great Races and demand something that you are not entitled to," Cha'ra stated without looking at the man in question. "You have much to learn, Tok'ra. The first thing you must realize is that taking only a willing Host is inconsequential when you never allow that Host to speak. The second thing you must realize is that, on several occasions thus far, the Tau'ri have saved both my and your own species from certain destruction. We owe them more than we could ever hope to repay, yet you continue to demand more of them. We are already in debt. Do not drown yourselves in it."

"The most important thing which you must learn is that you are insubstantial before those gathered here. Your race is viewed as less of an ally than the Impolans and they have only been on the galactic scene for three years. They did what you were unwilling to. They sent what little they had to defend Earth despite the fact that it cost them everything they had. Their fleet now rests in pieces drifting in orbit of Earth or slowly being pieced back together on their homeworld. While you only came here to **escape** an enemy you could not beat, they came knowingly to **fight** an enemy they knew would destroy them," Sieon added in a neutral-yet-still-somehow-hostile tone as Nele had used. Perhaps it was a trait of the Furlings as a species to say two things at once?

Thusly put in their place, the Tok'ra remained silent and Weir silently thanked the aliens she assumed were still picking away at her thoughts. It would be a few months before someone finally told her that the Furlings had respected the wishes of those present and kept their minds within their own private Collective.

"Fortunately your people are hardier than you believe," Lya commented in that almost-neutral tone the Nox were famous for. Getting the ever-reclusive Nox to attend the summit had not been easy, but the news of the Asgard's demise, the Tau'ri's ascension to the Fifth Race, and the return of the Furlings was enough to, at the very least, peak their interests. Even if they had sent familiar faces in place of actual ambassadors, it was more than they'd gotten from the Nox in the past few years.

"They are scared, yes, but they are putting on their best brave faces," Freyja, Host to Anise and least despised of the present Tok'ra, added. She was allowed to speak if only because nobody here openly despised her. "We passed through a town in Colorado on our way here and found that a college campus had already reopened and nearly fifty percent of the students were present. I find myself being ever more impressed with Humanity the more I get to know your species."

"I thought we had agreed to skip the ass-kissing part of this meeting," the Mimner said again, his tone irritated and Landry, once again, smiling in his mind. Having his own sort-of-secret army tucked up his sleeve certainly did have its advantages. The translators that sat around the table were actively making sure everyone could understand whoever was speaking regardless of the language barriers present, even going as far as to translate the Impolan insult into something disturbingly Human. "You want help with disclosure? Explain the nature of this help and I will consider it. As it stands, I believe I stand in better a position to demand compensation for this service as you still owe me greatly for the damages my forces suffered. That is, however, a topic for another time."

"Proving that not all aliens are bad helps calm people down. Putting you in front of a camera to answer questions helps sate the morbid sense curiosity all Humans are cursed with," Weir replied and O'Neill had to agree with that assessment.

"There is much to be discussed before such an arrangement could be agreed to. You would have to first disclose to us that which is hidden from you people. Not knowing what **not** to say is as dangerous as saying the right thing in the wrong way," H'baxon said.

"And it goes beyond even that," the Mimner added.

"While none here, aside from one, are delusional enough to believe that technological trade is a fair and righteous thing to demand of a species in return for a political favor, there is still the matter of trade in general. With the Stargate Program disclosed, the truly awe-inspiring industrial might of the planet Earth will be free to advance to the level needed to produce many powerful weapons and ships within a comparatively short timeframe. When pit against all but the Free Jaffa Nation's, Ba'al's, and the Hebridans' industrial ship building capabilities, it is clear to us that the Humans of Earth will be capable, willing, and driven to build a very power fleet in a very short amount of time as one of the five leading industrial and military powers in the galaxy. All that we ask for is access to this industry. We will pay fair prices for services rendered, but much of our space-age industrial complex was lost when such worlds as Dakara and Chulak were destroyed or captured by the Ori. The Free Jaffa Nation stands to gain much from open trade with a Post Disclosure Earth Industry," Bra'tac added smoothly.

"Master Bra'tac makes an excellent point," the Mimner mused, "but not the one I was moving for. While I am glad you thought of something I did not, what I did have in mind thusly follows. There are questions about myself that I will answer to no authority. If your people are not made aware of such desires and persist in the wrong way, or along the wrong line of thought, what guarantee do I have that such things will be allowed to be kept secret?"

"Any question you don't want to answer, you don't have to," President Hayes replied with a placating gesture. "This wouldn't be the first press conference held on Earth, just the first one we'd be holding with aliens present after nearly losing a battle in orbit. I cannot say what questions will be asked, but I can make assumptions. I know that my own sense of curiosity leads me to ask what you look like under that mask, but we've all been made aware of the fact that our atmosphere is less than agreeable to your health. If I were to ask such a question and received such an answer, I would remain curious, yes, but I wouldn't press you to show your face and breathe air that could kill you."

"**Very well,"** Per'sus said. **"Let us discuss your actual plans for disclosure. As H'baxon has pointed out, we cannot agree to your plan unless we have heard it."**

Two hours later, the assembly of delegates broke apart and dispersed, holographic balls of floating lights with their race's name 'printed' on them led each species away from the Conference Room and towards their temporary housing.

As they walked down one hall in the opposite direction of the Tok'ra, Free Jaffa Nation, and Impolan delegations, Lya leaned in closer to Sieon and asked, "Are you truly the same Sieon who led the battle against my people?"

"That I am," Sieon replied with a slight grunt at having bad memories drug through his still sore mind.

"I have heard much of you," she said with a smile.

"From who?" Sieon asked curiously. Somewhere in his head he was consciously aware of the fact that, while the Nox did live long lives, none of the currently living Nox were old enough to remember the Purge and the war that followed it.

"From me," Rana replied, her words earning her a confused look from her husband. "After your banishment and the Second Coming, we few turned to the last place we could think to. The Nox housed us just long enough for the _Isai_ to be repaired to the state we needed her to be in and the data recorders to be hidden. We left as soon as the situation would allow as we knew that the Demons would only arrive on their world as well if we stayed too long."

"The Second Coming…" Sieon said with the taste of bile in his mouth. "I should have been there."

"So you could die along with the rest of our race?" Wy'H'ofacion asked at a deadpan. "No," he shook his head sadly. "Had you been there, you would've been a prisoner, and no one would've listened to or headed your words. You would've died when the prison was destroyed and your mind would've gone with it. Your being here gives us more hope now than we've had in a great deal of time."

"You know how to fight them better than any of us," Nele said with a look of fire in his eyes, "and on my authority I am ending your banishment, the Ancients be damned!" As if this was some cue, and indeed it did seem to be as only Sieon and the Nox were taken off-guard, a figure appeared before them glowing in the pure white light of ascendancy. "And what do you want, Ascended?" Nele demanded with an angry huff. "You have no authority here and it is against your own rules to interfere. As much as it is viewed as a bad thing, the alliance between my race and yours ended when you ascended and left us to be slaughtered without any aid. Of all the Great Races, you had the power to help us, and yet you simply watched as trillions of innocent lives ended needlessly."

The figure, masked in light as it was and shielded from mental probing by its nature, faded away into nothingness. In its place there was an ancient, in the time-sense, scroll and nothing more. Wy'H'ofacion leaned down and scooped up the brittle feeling paper that was definitely paper and drew it open, but, despite the impossibility of it, each saw something different. Through the link of their minds, the Furlings instantly saw the scroll for what it was. Each saw the message meant for another and knew what it meant. Through their lesser, but still capable, mental link, the Nox were privy to the same experience.

Anteaus saw only a blank page. Ohper saw the image of a place he knew well, the Nox homeworld in all its untouched beauty. Lya saw the disturbing sight of the Nox homeworld burning. The three images together told them a tale. If nothing was done, the Nox homeworld would be destroyed.

In that same hallway, four other figures had a similar and equally disturbing vision. For Wy'H'ofacion the scroll said, 'Give back that which was taken.' To Nele it was a warning that read, 'They hide still in darkness.' For Rana it told her, 'The taint is present here.' For Sieon but three words were present. 'He yet lives.'

Because both species were telepathic, one more strongly than the other, they all shared the information at the speed of thought. The Nox homeworld was under threat, that much was clear, but the knowledge imparted to the Furlings was far less cohesive. Two things stood out though. The Demons were still in this galaxy hiding in the darkness, and this Ascended had warned them of an Indoctrinated presence 'here,' which could mean anything from _Atlantis_, to Earth, or even simply the Milky Way at large. The other two messages held more questions than they did answers.

"Who yet lives?" Rana asked at the same time that Nele asked his own question.

"What did you take?"

Sieon and Wy'H'ofacion shared a confused look between the two of them before both replied in one voice. "I have not the slightest inkling."

* * *

><p>The swirling vortex in space reached its maximum size, and from it came a city. A city! Flying in space and obviously not from Earth. It moved to protect one of the ships defending Earth and opened fire on the ships trying to destroy them all. The amount of firepower this city had, left everyone watching the video speechless. Then the ship it was protecting opened fire with a beam that cut through three of the hostile ships in one shot. This was a clip from the last part of the battle, the view shot entirely from a source, not only in space, but moving fast.<p>

The camera was temporarily blinded by blue light as a weapon fired so close to it that the two had to be part of the same ship. When their view of the battle was restored to something other than blue-white plasma, one of the ships that had earlier been confirmed to be of Earth design took a golden beam to its hangar bay that left the ship broken and spinning slightly as its engines had to be equalized in the absence of four of her thrusters. The camera began to move much faster as the ship it was attached to moved all the quicker in response to this development.

Their view of the battle became stationary as the ship stopped in orbit, the injured Earth ship behind it. Beams impacted the shield that protected the ship, but the barrier was weak. Energy surged through the ship to reinforce its protective bubble, but it wasn't enough. The shield began to fail and the camera saw for them what had happened six days ago in orbit of their own world. The hull of the ship began to break apart, sections of it giving out under the pressure of the enemy weapons fire as it bled through that failing barrier. A beam hit the shield over the nose of the ship and an entire five-foot section of hull exploded out from the impact site as the shield buckled further and more energy made it through.

By the time the camera began to move again, the ship was ravaged, grey-white puffs of gas escaping from hull breaches, but still more intact than the one it had saved. The recording shifted to another camera that faced to the rear of the ship, bright shimmers in the skies behind them as they dove into the atmosphere a testament to the ship's near destruction and the power of the shield that covered Earth. The recording then ended when the ship gained a stable flight beneath Earth's own shield.

"We've been informed that this video was shot from the cameras aboard the _USS Odyssey_. During the battle in orbit, several members of its crew were lost when the hull was breached. Some of the families of those thusly lost agreed to allow us to honor the lives and sacrifice of their sons and daughters. Today I have the heavy-hearted task of informing you of the losses we suffered during what is being called 'The Battle for Earth.' The list includes, though is not limited to, Captain Salvador Ramirez, Warrant Officer Second-Class Olivia Rawlinson, Victoria Hinojosa, Hannah Larson, Matthew Argenbright, and Jennifer De Leon, all of whom were civilian specialists serving on the ship. Also lost were…"

The list included everyone lost in the battle for orbit as well as the destruction of Flight Two-Ten, and the ground invasion of Нижневартовск. It was neither short, nor composed of members of any one country.

"If we learn anything from this," the President of the Network said as he stepped into shot of the camera, "don't let it be hate. We were attacked as a planet, not a nation. Let us remember those who were hurt as badly, if not worse, than we were. Help your neighbors and give what you can to the relief effort. We've been informed that the governments of the nations most directly involved in what's being loosely called the 'Stargate Alliance' will be giving their official statement tomorrow, but now, let us pray. I know there are many denominations present in my own city, and I'm not asking everyone to pray to one God over any other, but let us join together for the first time as a people and simply pray to whichever God, Gods, or anything else you believe in. Right now, there are a lot of people hurting. Let us join our hearts and minds, as one planet amongst many in a galaxy filled with life, in prayer.

"Heavenly Father above…"

* * *

><p>"How the hell did I get stuck with this job?" President Hayes asked to no one in particular, his words low enough that only he could hear them.<p>

"_Because your people have a great deal of faith in your ability to present this in a way that will not cause too much panic,"_ Plato's voice replied from the earpiece he was wearing. _"Don't worry, I'll keep the special effects going. That should give them an idea of what you're talking about."_

With a deep breath to calm his nerves, the President stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're ready to begin," Hayes announced and the assembled press gathered their notepads, pens, recording devices, and their cameramen lined up in the back.

At the back of the room, the director of this potential disaster counted down. "Five… four… three…" He then broke off and used his fingers to countdown from 'two' to 'zero.'

As he reached 'one,' Plato added, _"You don't have to do this alone, Mister President. Remember that your allies are here."_

Then they were live.

"I find myself the recipient of a great honor," Hayes began, his words and image sent across the planet as a whole to every TV and radio in orbit or on the surface of Earth. "I stand before you, not as the President of any one country, but as the elected representative of those nations who have banded together to represent the idea of an Earth united in common cause. We all knew it would come to this," Hayes added sadly. "We're a violent, mistrusting bunch and it was obvious to most that only the existence of an extraterrestrial threat would be enough to redirect those violent tendencies away from Earth and our fellow Humans.

"Several decades ago, during the Second World War, a team of archeologists unearthed an alien artifact in the deserts of Giza. The device, which at the time was believed to be a weapon, was shipped back to the US for safe keeping so that the Nazis wouldn't be able to get their hands on it. Years of experimenting with the device finally led to the discovery of its true purpose. The ring you can see behind me," Hayes said as the holo-tank in the Conference Room showed the Milky Way model of Stargate behind him, "is one of these devices. They serve as a means of interplanetary, and even intergalactic transportation. The Stargate, as we have come to call it, creates a stable wormhole between two Gates."

As he continued, the holo-tank 'activated' the Gate and a holographic team stepped through as the entire room was covered in holographic grasses and trees swaying in a nonexistent breeze. This was an actual recording, taken by a MALP, of SG-12's first visit to the first, for there were two others before they finally built their current one, Alpha Site before the base had even been constructed. The planet was still a 'virgin world' when they arrived.

The hologram disappeared, _Atlantis_' interior design rematerializing around them, and Hayes continued. "For the past ten years, the United States Air Force has been routinely sending out teams in the name of peaceful exploration and technological trade. A few years after we first started our exploration of the stars, the Russians found another Gate and began their own program. Working together, we managed to do more united than we could apart. This set a new precedent. To optimize how effective our off-world operations could be, we expanded that alliance and brought in the first of the countries to be part of the Stargate Alliance. The original Gate Alliance Treaty existed between the countries of Russia, China, Great Britain, France, and the United States.

"Then, just over two years ago, we were faced with our first major interplanetary invasion. Many of you may remember that, just after I was elected into office, we lost an entire Nimitz Carrier Group with no real explanation as to how. We all know that the story of the losses being caused by a freak meteor shower were sketchy at best. No, those losses were part of our war with an alien known as Anubis who attacked Earth with a force of nearly forty Ha'tak-class Motherships." Once again the holo-tank displayed Hayes' topic, the standard Ha'tak design appearing behind him before a recording from the _Prometheus_' sensors and cameras showed the battle itself.

"We defeated this attack with a weapon we call 'Drones,' a form of semi-intelligent surface-to-orbit missile capable of bypassing the shields of most of our enemies' ships. The weapon system was created by another race of aliens who lived on Earth back when Humans were barely getting past the stage of being cavemen. Mythological figures such as Plato, Merlin, Morgan le Fay, and many more were members of this species. This arsenal of powerful, missile-like projectiles is capable of firing from the surface of Earth all the way to orbit and can eliminate… well," Hayes said as the Conference Room was consumed in holograms that showed the battle between fighters that had seen Mitchell crash-landed in the Artic and Hammond leading the charge against a far superior force.

The image then shifted as the _Prometheus_ pointed its nose up and made for orbit. As it reached into the stars and faced down the guns of Anubis' flagship, the drone swarm overtook the small ship as it rushed past the _Prometheus_ and tore through everything in its path that Jack willed them to destroy.

"Suffice to say, this is but one of many layers to Earth's defenses. First and foremost is our brave men and women," Hayes continued as several members of the SGC who had agreed to be 'poster children' for the Stargate Program appeared behind him in holographic form decked out in their standard gear as Anubis' fleet disappeared in a wave of explosions. "We started with small teams going through the Gate on missions of exploration and they have secured several powerful alliances for us through their hard work, but our enemies had weapons that our flak vests couldn't defend against. To better protect this first line of defense and offense, we developed more advanced technologies to help them succeed." The standard vest was replaced by the second iteration that had the energy absorbent material in place of the kinetic resistant plates. "Most recently, we've made even greater leaps and bounds in the field of personal protection."

Those same three Warrior Airmen then appeared again, this time in the flesh and wearing their full-body combat armor. "The advances we made during Stargate Command's operation are not, however, limited to one nation's ability to produce war on the ground. We knew that our enemies had technology that would let them attack us from orbit and that they both could, and would, eventually come for us. The first thing we did was try to duplicate their fighters."

The X-301 appeared behind him, the Death Glider with a USAF sticker slapped on the side and two missiles slung under its wings a poor comparison to the modern day 302 which paled in comparison to Sam's new fighter design. "We quickly abandoned that line of advancement when we realized that we'd have to steal from our enemies to build our forces and that would both take too long and risk too much." The F-302 then appeared in the holo-tank as the Airmen left the room, many pictures taken before they did. "So we began developing our own fighters. After that, we moved on to taking on their capital ships on an even footing." Now the _Prometheus_ appeared, for the first time, as an external view with its dimensions written in along its three axis.

"The X-303, or _USS Prometheus_, was our answer to the Goa'uld Ha'tak, but our allies, the Asgard, gave us technology that quickly put the ship, her design, and her technology out of mind. The _Prometheus_-class was abandoned after the completion of the first ship of the _Daedalus_-class, but not before its unfortunate demise. During a mission to rescue a captured team and liberate a planet of our allies that was under attack, the _Prometheus_ was destroyed by an Ori satellite weapon." The only footage able to be recovered from the ship's Black Box played, the destruction of Earth's first capital ship a sad sight for those who knew the crew who were lost. "Unfortunately, the ship was not able to be fully evacuated and many were lost including the ship's Commanding Officer, Colonel Lionel Pendergast.

"After the destruction of the _Prometheus_, we focused our efforts into building the _Daedalus_-class which proved itself the superior design," Hayes continued, the ship appearing behind him. "The first ship of this class was, immediately after its construction, sent to the Pegasus Galaxy to reinforce the members of the _Atlantis_ Expedition." Here the city of _Atlantis_ appeared behind him, a live feed from a camera attached to a Jumper that was flying over the city to give them a good view showing the city in its still-being-upgraded form still docked on those massive arms that jutted out of the ice beneath them, massive power conduits from the geothermal power plant below that providing more power to the city than it had ever had, the repair drones buzzing around it, and numerous smaller craft from Jumpers and Pelicans to the massive forms of Vultures carrying cargo to the city from the nearby McMurdo Air Force Base. "There we found more allies, and one enemy that still gives me nightmares. They're called the Wraith, but I digress.

"Before we discuss the life-forms we found in another galaxy, let us finish with the races present in this one. The Goa'uld Empire was the main enemy we faced in this galaxy. A parasitic race that took other life-forms for hosts, the Goa'uld used Humans as everything from hosts, to slaves, to genetically modified soldiers and even incubators for their young. As we slowly took down the Goa'uld, a new power rose into being. The Jaffa, the warrior-slaves of the Goa'uld, were liberated through the fires of combat and rose from their position of bondage to become the newly minted Free Jaffa Nation and remain one of Earth's **oldest** allies, but not our **only** ally.

"Also allied with the people of Earth are an extragalactic, and, sadly enough, now extinct race known as the Asgard, a very old and powerful race known as the Ancients, a race known as the Nox, the Furlings, who are actually from another universe all together, a collection of races united against the Goa'uld known as the Impolan Authority, an off-branch of the Goa'uld who call themselves the Tok'ra, a race known as the Tolans, the remnants of a once-powerful warrior people known as the Setedans, and a race of great farmers who call themselves the Athosians amongst several others. The histories of each of these races are as long as our own, and not able to be covered during this debriefing, but that information will be made available to the public once we've found an appropriate media for the outlet.

"However, due to my late introduction to the Stargate Program and all that it entails, I am not the one to answer the questions you're sure to have. To fill that role for me, I present to you Doctor Elizabeth Weir who has led the _Atlantis_ Expedition successfully for the past three years despite being an entire galaxy away from home. Also present are representatives from a few of our allied races, but I'll leave Doctor Weir to give those introductions. Doctor," Hayes said, motioning her forward as he stepped down from the podium.

"First, I'd like to welcome you all to the no-longer-lost, Lost City of _Atlantis_," Weir said. "Joining me today are Sieon Synipulous, representing the Furling Galactic Empire, H'baxon, who is the Speaker of the People for the Impolan Authority, General Jonathan O'Neill who has the prestigious title of Head of Homeworld Security, Colonel Samantha Carter who is one of the leading scientists for the Stargate Program, and Doctor Rodney McKay who serves as my own head of sciences for the _Atlantis_ Expedition. The floor is now open for questions," Weir said before selecting one of the reporters.

"CBS 11 News, Constance Porter, so let's get straight to the question everyone wants to know," the woman said as she stood to address the aforementioned officials, delegates, and military personnel. "What happened seven days ago in orbit? Obviously you were involved somehow."

The assembled men and women, aliens and Humans alike, shared glances amongst them until one stepped forward much to O'Neill's obvious disdain. "Seven days ago, your world came under attack by an enemy to this galaxy that calls itself the 'Ori.' While it is often said that the Ori invaded this galaxy, that is inaccurate. The Followers of the Ori or the Walkers of the Path of Origin are the ones who attacked you. The Ori themselves are God-like beings that have ascended to a higher plane of existence. Their followers have advanced technology and have been sweeping across this galaxy like a great plague.

"The Free Jaffa Nation, a sworn ally to the people of Earth, was incapable of stopping their advance and have suffered great losses at their hands. The Goa'uld, who are a sworn enemy of the people of Earth, have also been under attack. This galaxy has been actively invaded by the Ori for the past year, and only Earth has proven to possess the technology and will to stop their otherwise unchecked conquest. When this was proven beyond the Walkers of the Path of Origin's ability to ignore, they brought the full force of their fleet to Earth. The Walkers of the Path of Origin, like the Asgard, Ancients, and Wraith, are an extragalactic force not native to the Milky Way Galaxy. They are a group of religious fanatics who will kill anyone who will not submit to the will of their Gods, the Ori themselves.

"Because you could stand against them, and because you would not allow them to conquer this galaxy and slaughter uncounted trillions without putting up a fight, your people were targeted. Your planet was attacked twice within a twenty-four hour period, a 'day' on Earth if I understand your chronology correctly, by the same enemy. When their first twenty-five ships threw themselves against the defenses of your world and fell to the five warships you had standing in your defense, the Ori sent more ships to finish the job. One-hundred Ori Motherships arrived in orbit and clashed with the forces of Earth and your allies. With fifteen ships and your orbital defenses, the greatest threat to this galaxy was delivered so great a blow that their invasion, if it is to continue, will only be able to do so after a great many months of rebuilding what was lost. The small number of losses you suffered during the battle, while a tragedy in its own right, is a pittance compared to the uncountable number of lives your people have saved by defeating the Walkers of the Path of Origin."

That same reporter, still standing with her vocal recorder held towards the stage, blinked in surprise at what was, to her, a shockingly straightforward answer. Once she finally found her voice, she asked, "Judging by your armor, speech, and bearing, I'm assuming you're not Human. Which of Earth's allies do you represent?"

"I am H'baxon, Speaker of the People for the Impolan Authority and personal representative for the Mimner to the people of Earth."

"What can you tell us about the enemy we face?" another reporter, this one from Fox 4, asked.

"You face no enemy," H'baxon replied stoically. "They have been defeated."

"What about the others? You listed several that were extragalactic, but I assume we have enemies native to the Milky Way as well?"

"You assume correctly."

"I'll get this one," Sam said, giving the alien a small nod in thanks. "Our first enemy was the Goa'uld Empire and they've been largely defeated as well. The Goa'uld themselves are parasites that use Humans as Hosts. They actually look like alien snakes." Behind her, the holo-tank that Plato was using to provide the visuals needed to explain things showed a Goa'uld in both larval and fully developed form, both helpfully labeled for the sake of explanation. "After defeating all but one of the Goa'uld and shattering the hold the System Lords had on the galaxy, we sent the _Atlantis_ Expedition to the Pegasus Galaxy where we discovered the Wraith."

Sam motioned behind her and Rodney took her place. "The Wraith are an advanced species that literally feed off of the life-force of Humans. They're like vampires, but instead of drinking blood they feed on the energy in our bodies. It gives them the ability to live extraordinarily long lives and their technology and numbers have allowed them to control the entire Pegasus Galaxy through fear, threats, and death for the past ten-thousand-plus years. When we reached _Atlantis_, the city was abandoned. The Lanteans, as they were known at the time they inhabited the city, lost their war with the Wraith due mostly to their arrogance. They believed their technological superiority would be all that was needed to win, but the Wraith had numbers."

A Hiveship appeared behind him with the dimensions and total Dart capacity 'helpfully' indicated. The numbers were disturbing to say the least. "During their war with the Lanteans, the Wraith had many worlds rich in life to feed off of, these were known as Cullings by the people of Pegasus. By the time the war was over, the Wraith's numbers started working against them. They now had trillions of 'mouths to feed,' but only millions of Humans to feed off of. To survive the shortage and give the Human populations of the Pegasus Galaxy time to repopulate to the numbers the Wraith need to survive, they put all of their nonessential people into hibernation. They made continuing raids on the lesser developed worlds to keep the populations full of fear and to feed those left awake. If any single planet advanced too far, the Wraith would wipe them out entirely. Those worlds would simply stop contacting their allies and anyone sent to investigate would find a world covered in rubble.

"Ten-thousand years later, we arrived. When we did, _Atlantis_'s power core was failing and we needed to replace it. In order to do so, we left the city and investigated a world we hoped would be able to help us. This is where we met the Athosians, but we also encountered the Wraith. During the engagement that followed, the Wraith captured one of our people. During the interrogation of that man, the Wraith learned of Earth. To them, it was a world in the Pegasus Galaxy full of food because they learned the one thing they really wanted to know. Earth was a world with a population that numbered in the billions. The most recent report from the United States Census Bureau puts the population of Earth at well over seven-billion, one-hundred-eighty-two-million people. The Wraith, for obvious reasons, saw Earth as the richest feeding ground they'd heard of in thousands of years.

"Their plan would've been to feed on us while spreading those they captured to less populated worlds so we could give them more food by reproducing, but they soon discovered that Earth was not a planet amongst the stars they had access to. During the rescue operation to save our captured man, we killed one of the Wraith Queens, their leaders, and she, before dying, sent a message to the other Wraith telling them that a great new feeding ground had been found. All of the Wraith woke up and found a galaxy that couldn't sustain their numbers. The lack of food led to a civil war between the Wraith as they tried to stay alive. We capitalized on this and used their own civil war and our ships to defend our new allies and help liberate the people of the Pegasus Galaxy. Sadly enough, that war is still ongoing and we're not making much headway because the Wraith still outnumber us."

"Aside from the Wraith," Sam said as she retook the stage at the end of McKay's explanation, "we've encountered the enemies of our allies. The Asgard, one of our greatest allies, fought a race of mechanical spider-like robots that had only one thing programed into them; find new technology and replicate. Because of this, the machines were dubbed 'Replicators.' After many years of war with these machines, the Asgard defeated their enemy with some help from our own forces. There are a few other races out there that are hostile to Earth's people that I'm sure I'm leaving out because they were too minor to remember, but we're discovering new races all the time. Most of them are either friendly or at least neutral with only a small few being openly hostile."

"Why has all this been kept secret?" the CNN reporter asked.

"When we first gained the ability to go to other worlds, we did so without any knowledge of what was out there," General O'Neill replied with their unanimously agreed upon official excuse. "It was felt, at the time, that if we were to reveal the existence of aliens to the world without the ability to defend ourselves, it would lead to major civil unrest and could even spark another World War."

"Speaking of technologies, when will we begin seeing some of these alien advancements released to the public?" another reporter asked.

"You already have, actually," Sam answered smoothly. "Several breakthroughs in the past few years can be directly attributed to our study of alien technologies, especially in the areas of medicine, computing, and energy production. Aside from that…" Sam trailed off for a moment before deciding on her wording. "During the Battle for Earth, the presence of enemy ships in the atmosphere was only possible because they used a form of FTL travel to bypass the planetary defense shield. In doing so, they flooded the areas around their arrival sites with exotic radiation. The mountains of Colorado near Cheyanne and the deserts of Nevada near Area 51 have been flooded with enough exotic radiation that all naturally occurring life in those areas has been wiped out.

"In order to prevent the radiation from spreading, we trapped the clouds in atmospheric retentive barriers. Without all of the technical terms, we've trapped the radiation in a light-tight container that it can't escape from, but it's still there."

Behind her, the massive bubble of a shield that was holding the radiation, and indeed the light within the bubble, at bay, appeared. It was a massive, black ball of nothing that was slowly shrinking to take up less space and dragging the radiation with it. A perfect, circular shaped void in Human perception. With no light leaving the barrier, because radiation is electromagnetic in nature and therefore has the same properties of light, the ball was perfectly absent of all light. It was darker even than the void of space. They had collapsed the three bubbles containing the radiation to smaller sizes, each only a few dozen meters in diameter, but a lot had still escaped before they could get the bubbles in place.

"It's not the only harmful substance in the air, but it is still in our air. The industrialization of Earth has led to several million metric tons of pollutants being dumped into the oceans or pumped into the atmosphere. With the technology we have available to us, we're going to fix that problem." The holo-tank shifted behind her and the designs for the 'Scrubbers,' as they were calling them, appeared in place of the bubble of radiation. "This is a Scrubber. It's a terraforming machine created by the Asgard designed to take a nearly-habitable planet like Mars and turn it into a verdant garden-world like Earth. Using them on Mars would make colonizing the planet possible, but we don't have the industry to sustain Earth's economy and a colony-world at the same time, not now. We do, however, have another use for them. These things can make Mars habitable by removing toxins from the atmosphere and cleaning pollutants out of the water.

"On Mars, that makes a habitable planet. On Earth, that makes for air so clean a lot of allergies will disappear overnight and water so pure you could walk up to the ocean and drink the waters without fear of sucking in oil spilt by a tanker or leaked from a drill. You'd still be drinking salt-water because changing our oceans from salt-water to fresh-water would be devastating to the ecosystem of the planet as a whole. Not all sea-life can live in fresh-water and killing all the fish would leave us without one of our most abundant food sources. This Scrubber can, however, expand our farmlands. Imagine turning the Sahara Desert into a massive expanse of farmable land in a matter of weeks instead of years of terraforming and millions of dollars in irrigation pipes. That's what we have to offer the world.

"I know a lot of you are going to want a cure for cancer," Sam said, a sad look on her face. "I know I wish we had found one before I had to say goodbye to my father, but, sadly, we're not there yet. We're closer now than we were before, but now, instead of curing the cancer, we have methods to remove the afflicted organs and replace them with a lab-grown replica that the body won't be able to tell it wasn't born with. I know some of you will want flying cars, but let's face it. Everyone would have to go to pilot school, and, considering that the dropout rate for high school students in America is seven percent of the total population of most high schools…"

Sam trailed off with a disappointed shake of her head. "Dropping out from high school is associated with negative employment and life outcomes. Young people who drop out of high school are unlikely to have the minimum skills and credentials necessary to function in today's increasingly complex society, and technology-dependent workplace. The completion of high school is usually required for accessing post-secondary education, and is a minimum requirement for most jobs. A high school diploma is associated with higher incomes and occupational status, and young adults with low education and skill levels are more likely to live in poverty and to receive government assistance, that, frankly, the governments of the world can't afford to keep giving to people that aren't even **trying** to better themselves. High school dropouts are also more likely to become involved in crime. Furthermore, dropout status has been linked with poor physical and mental health. Such negative outcomes, along with diminished labor force participation, exact a high economic toll on society. If the dropouts from the nation's class of two-thousand-eleven had graduated, the US economy **alone** would benefit by about one-hundred-fifty-four billion dollars over their lifetimes. Instead, the government goes broke trying to keep food on their tables while they sit there doing nothing to better their situation.

"If people can't even be bothered to finish high school when it opens more opportunities for them in the long run, and with teen pregnancies are skyrocketing like they are…" Another pause so she could shake her head in disgust before continuing. "The odds of people being responsible with a flying car when they still speed down the highway at deathly speeds texting the whole time, not watching the road, not using their turn signals, and dodging through traffic, forgo protection because they're too 'macho' for condoms, drop out of school because they 'don't need it'…" A third pause and third shake of the head, this one a mixture of the previous two. "Instead of a three car pileup on the highway creating traffic issues, we'd have an Aircar sticking out of downtown building with a hundred people dead on impact and a collapsing building killing even more people on the ground."

The way she said it left Jack wincing at the thought. He could see it now. It wasn't pretty. The assembled reporters seemed to be of the same mind. None of them argued. Most everyone on Earth knew someone who died in a car crash, and **everybody **knows somebody who knew somebody.

"Then there's full-body armor, energy weapons, hand-held railguns, FTL travel, trinium alloys, superconductors…" Sam shook her head again, a common theme for this speech of hers. "Imagine bank robbers equipped with armor that small-arms fire can't punch through. Law enforcement would lose every engagement they ever got into because no one city on Earth can afford the materials needed to build a suit of armor like that **and** equip an entire police force with it, but we all know that drug lords make more money than government officials let on. We'd enter the age of Marvel and DC Comics where the villains are too powerful for anything short of a genetically altered super-Human to effectively fight them and that's just the **armor** we have access to.

"Then you have terrorist organizations that forgo using nuclear weapons and instead start using plasma bombs. Hand-held railguns in the hands of hunters? There's no kick to a railgun and they have greater range than you could imagine. A perfect kill shot on a deer could travel for **miles** and **still** have enough energy to kill something else. FTL drives emit deadly radiation and that's another thing we'd have to regulate. Another agency like the Air Traffic Control Towers, but for FTL travel in the entire system. Trinium can only be mined off-world, and the superconductors we use to build our ships can amplify the power of nuclear explosions by disturbing magnitudes."

"What do you mean?" another reporters asked.

Sam turned to Jack who frowned in reply to the unasked question. Hitting her ear piece, Sam said, "Roll the clip from Kallana." As the holo-tank shifted to show the world in question, pre-collapse, the large blue bubble clearly visible from orbit as the _Prometheus_'s recordings were played, Sam explained the scene. "We've encountered two forms of superconductors on other worlds that far surpass anything else on Earth. The first is naquadah, a stable superconductor that we use to produce power for our warships. The second is naquadria. Naquadria is, by a significant margin, the more powerful of the two superconductors, but, unlike naquadah, naquadria is highly unstable which makes it prone to explosions. The world you see here was captured by the Ori in a bid to reach our galaxy from their own."

The arrival of the Jaffa and the bombardment of the shield played out as Sam explained their reason for being there.

"During this stage in our time in space, we didn't have energy weapons, so we just kept making stronger nuclear bombs. This one we refer to as the Mark IX, or the Gate Buster. When detonated, the naquadria enhances the thermonuclear explosion by order of several magnitudes. When detonated next to an active Stargate, as this one was, the explosion is…" and her words were cut off by the explosion itself. "The energy of that **one** explosion rendered **seventy percent** of the planet's surface inhabitable. That's the threat, the power, that misused naquadria possess. Naquadah isn't quite as powerful in a single blast, but we developed the Mark IIIs, VIIs and VIIIs to be used against enemy capital ships that can withstand high powered energy weapons. Those weapons being used on Earth would destroy us all."

"And the Americans control all of this?" Judging by his accent, the man was from Germany, but Sam never got a chance to answer the accusation.

"I ought to have you killed for uttering such a statement," the last of the 'delegates' to have not spoken said darkly. All eyes in the room turned to Sieon as his face twisted into a mask of utter outrage. "There is no 'America'," he said with such a tone of finality that none dared to breath let along argue against him. "There is only Earth. When the Ori came, they cared not for your self-imposed, purely imaginary political borders. They cared not for your nations. They cared only for your **world**. You would be wise to do the same, for the Ori are not the only ones who will act as such. The people of Earth are the only ones who care for your nations, countries, and such petty ideas of political separation and individual independence. When your planet is invaded again, for there will always be another time until you are defeated, the enemy will attack you all with impunity because you are of **Earth**. National boarders mean nothing once you leave the world they are applied to. Tell me, Simpleton. When my people come to destroy yours, should I target only the people of one nation when all of your nations will fight against me? Perhaps not all at once, but each of you, in turn, will fight for your continued idea of freedom, so should I attack you one by one? Or should I simply destroy you all from the safety of orbit once it's captured and be done with you?"

When no answer was forthcoming, Sieon continued. "You are blessed to live here, but not because of the nation you call your own. Earth is a free world protected by powerful technologies and allied with powerful races. Every world in the Pegasus Galaxy lives under the fear of the next Culling at the hands of the Wraith. Their people question the morality of having a child, for bringing another life into the world just for it to be fed upon by the Wraith. In your own galaxy, there are worlds where men, women, and children are turned into slaves to work in radioactive mines where their death is only a question of time. That is the fate you avoided by simple luck of birth upon this world. Your very life is owed to chance, nothing more, and you wail against that good future by saying that others are better off than even you are? You disgust me.

"Yours is a world largely untouched by the whims of aliens hostile to the mere **thought** of your existence. Alien who would kill or enslave you all to prevent any measurable amount of freedom from existing. The Asgard have defended you, the Ancients have defended you, your own people have defended you, but you would deny them their righteous victory by accusing them of being power-hungry war mongers hell-bent on world domination? Long have the members of the IOA nations had the power to take over this planet and rule it with an iron fist, but they have done no such thing. They now have the power to conquer this galaxy as a whole and do the same on a larger scale, but they refrain from doing so. Why? Because they are more honorable in their **lies** than you are in your **truths**!

"Regardless of nationality, you are **all** Humans of the planet Earth. I strongly suggest you begin to think with a single mind, as a single species, because dividing yourselves between nations will only lead to your ultimate defeat. United, Earth has the power to free this and other galaxies from tyrannical elements that would sooner crush freedom than allow it to flourish. Divided, that mentality will have you broken, weak, and easily defeated by a greater force, and there is **always** a greater force. You need to remove the idea of nations and embrace the idea of a united people. If you do not, then Earth will fall before you can do anything of worth and your people will be erased from the galactic history books. The victor writes history, and if any of your enemies win their wars against you, then the people of Earth will be erased entirely."


	36. Post Disclosure Part 1: Reintroducing th

Another "quick" correction. I kept saying "trillions of lives" in the previous chapter. As such, said the population of Earth was seven-trillion… yeah, that's not right. It's actually seven-billion (as of the 2010 census) and today it's closer to eight-billion. That was a matter of "trillion" sticking in my head and me not paying attention to it. As such, 'today' I'm fixing the mistake made 'yesterday' and, like last time, letting you know so you don't have to reread the whole chapter to find the one word I changed.

Author's Note directed to those of you who like the idea of peace with the Wraith,

It's an unrealistic, purely idealistic dream given the nature of the enemy and their numbers. Sure we have medical technology that can turn them into Humans, but how many of you would take the risk of living next to a no-longer-Wraith? Not me! A miracle cure just won't work against a population that large, even given that it's a willing population, because the Wraith have no infrastructure to speak of. They have no farms and I doubt that anyone in Pegasus would be willing to help them set up farms. As such, I give you my solution to the Wraith…

Chapter 35

Post Disclosure Part 1

_Reintroducing the Tau'ri_

**One Month Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>"Good morning, afternoon, and night depending on which part of our fair planet you're living on. I'm Sandra Klein with the Global Broadcasting Network reporting to the good people of Earth, for the first time in the history of televised news… from orbit," the woman with the obviously German accent reported with a broad smile, her tone full of that fake enthusiasm news reporters had down to a t.<p>

"Yes, you heard right ladies and gentlemen. I'm Ogier Dubois reporting live from the Combat Information Center of the Asgard, _O'Neill_-class Warship, the _Clausus Cursor_ which is scheduled to be turned into a museum to commemorate the race that gave so much to the people of Earth," her French co-anchor added, that same, cheesy, reporter's smile on his face as well.

"That's right, Ogier. We here at the Global Broadcasting Network have been given the distinct honor of being the first news team with the privilege of sending you live footage of the halls of an alien warship. During the Battle for Earth just over a month ago, the _Cursor_ took a considerable amount of damage. In fact, the ship was so badly damaged, that the repair efforts would cost more than building an entirely new ship. As such, the last remaining vessel ever built by the now deceased race of aliens known to the people of this galaxy as the Asgard, is being turned into a museum."

"From our place here in the heart of the ship, where the commander sits in his chair and issues orders, we can see the damage that was done. If you look to the holographic display here that's showing the state of the ship immediately after the battle, you'll see that the rear section of the ship was missing a sizeable chunk of material. That hull plating is now drifting in orbit of Earth. The fact that even this much of the ship remains intact after such a blow is a testament to its creating race's mastery of ship-building technology."

"Indeed it is, Ogier, but it's also a reminder of how close we came to joining our allies in the footnotes of history."

"The museum is scheduled to be open to the public once the ship is intact enough that there aren't any more hull breaches. We've been informed that the repair effort is being focused on those ships which are still salvageable, and therefore the _Cursor_ will remain at the bottom of the list. As such, the museum won't be opening until later this year."

"Best estimates by the organization that is, after much apparent debate, trying to find a new name other than 'Homeworld Command,' put the grand opening of the museum anytime between mid-September of twenty-thirteen, and the end of January of twenty-fourteen. Exclusive tours for students and professors of History will be held in advance for two purposes. The first is to work out the kinks in the system and get feedback on the layout of the museum."

"The second purpose is to educate the Historians on the history of this great species so they can better teach others. After all, we can't have uneducated educators, now can we?"

"Indeed we can't, Ogier," Sandra chuckled. "In other news, the future of so-called 'Post-Disclosure Earth' is looking bright. We've been informed by the soon-to-be-renamed 'Homeworld Command' that the atmospheric scrubbers they deployed after the Battle for Earth have finished cleaning forty-seven percent of Earth's atmosphere. All of the radiation introduced to the environment during the Battle for Earth has been removed and the Scrubbers are now moving on to general pollutants. Estimated time for completion is roughly three more months. After that, the Scrubbers are headed for the ocean floor!"

"Yes they are, Sandra, and on the way they're going to scrub the waters of Earth clean. By the time they're done, the only thing left in the ocean will be water, salt, fish, sand, and a whole lot of fish… crap," the reporter said, trailing off when he almost substituted the wrong word for what the prompter was saying.

Sandra had to resist the urge to laugh at the stumble and channeled that mirth into her smile. "Well, you can only clean so much before you're left with nothing," she said smoothly, giving her French coworker enough time to recover.

"Continuing with the theme of Post-Disclosure Earth, I'm tasked with the job of informing you of the true extent of the damages done to the Earth during the event that has become known as the 'Slaughter of Нижневартовск.' Experts' best estimates put the repairs to the city at over ten-million dollars and three years of work. The mass funeral held for the unfortunate souls who are no longer with us today was held last week. As per the request of the survivors, the event was not televised. Thanks to the quick response made available by the equipment and teams deployed by the _USS Ares_, the total death toll was lessened by nearly two-thousand wounded who were evacuated in a matter of three hours after the bombing of the city.

"Hospitals across the country of Russia received the wounded in a timely manner that allowed the entire medical force of the country to be utilized instantly instead of waiting weeks for help to be flown in. The act of evacuating the wounded, organizing the living, offering medical aid, and securing the crashed alien ship helped ease tensions between the Russian and American peoples. While the Russian government was apart of the original Gate Alliance Treaty, the people weren't. This caused tensions between the people and the government that have been calming down as more information has come to light over the past few weeks. The dispute between the government of Russia and the IOA over their demand for access to the ship as payment for the lives lost during the battle has been resolved as Homeworld Command has drawn them fully into the effort to study the ship's systems, which brings us to the updated list."

"The International Oversight Advisory, which is also subject to a name change some time soon, serves as the political face of the people of 'United Earth,' now includes the nations of Algeria, Andorra, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, the Central African Republic, China, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Yemen, and, finally," Sandra muttered to herself, "Zimbabwe. That brings the total number of nations up to thirty-five. That's thirty-five countries across Earth that have joined together in an alliance against extraterrestrial threats, with many other nations still in the process of getting their memberships approved."

"In more local news that hits closer to home but is still considered global news, school is starting up soon. In households across the globe, we're all getting ready for the start of another terrific school year! A lot of changes are being made to the curriculum of most high schools across the globe to better incorporate the histories of both Earth and her allies. Most of these changes will be seen on the high school level with classes in alien history being made available as electives, but the newly revealed, and so-called 'True History' of Earth, have led to changes in almost every history book on the planet. We're also seeing changes in the start date of the new school year. Given the changes to the curriculum and the fact that we weren't prepared to make them quickly, seventy-six percent of the schools across the globe will be opening their doors a full month later than projected due to the changes," Ogier said, that annoyingly cheesy smile still plastered across his face.

"In the interests of keeping things uniform," Ogier continued, "even those primary education-level schools ready to open will be postponed for another month. For students still in the primary education system, your summer vacation this year will be one month longer, but next year's summer vacation will be one month shorter as a result. For those of you already in the secondary education system, all but a few college campuses across the globe have their doors open. With funding from the recently-made-obsolete 'fleet budget,' the military power of Homeworld Command has put its considerable economic might behind making the improvements to colleges happen faster. We expect to see this 'extra founding' find its way back into Earth's economy in only a few short weeks."

"We're also overly joyed to be able to say that school enrollment numbers haven't dropped."

"That's right, Sandra. Despite the common fear that we'd all become reclusive hermits too afraid of our own shadows to leave the house, the Human race has, once again, defied expectation and rebounded rather smoothly. Already the Stock Market is making a remarkable recovery and even our worst estimates have the global economy stabilizing within in the next two months. You can expect those gas prices to drop back below four dollars a gallon by the end of the month as well."

"Once again on the topic of global news, and good news at that, I am absolutely thrilled to be able to say that humanitarian aid has been sent to all places around the globe that are in need of it. Using a form of technology they call energy-to-matter matter converters, Homeworld Command has been producing fresh, edible food en mass and sending it across the globe at the speed of a beam. The Red Cross and other such organizations across the globe have taken the supplies Homeworld Command is giving to them and we're seeing a decrease in world hunger, an increase in the standard of living in almost every country on Earth, and, just to put that metaphorical cherry at the top of that metaphorical cake, Homeworld Command has announced that plans for the global power grid will begin construction on the twenty-seventh of **this** month instead of late December."

"Remarkable news indeed. Unfortunately that's all the time we have for today, but feel free to go to our website, look us up on Facebook, or visit us on Twitter. We're looking for your input, so let us have it! We want to know if you're excited, bored, happy, mad… whatever it is you're feeling, let us know why you're feeling the way you do. Until tomorrow, I'm Ogier Dubois…"

"And I'm Sandra Klein…"

"Reporting live from the _Clausus Cursor_…" Ogier continued.

"In orbit…" Sandra added.

"For GBN News," the duo said in tandem before waving to the camera with their overly-enthused, fake smiles.

* * *

><p>***Local Cluster (Sol System)***<p>

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Extraction Chamber)*

"Never in the history of boredom has anyone been more bored than I am right now," General O'Neill muttered.

"Come on, sir, it's only been…" Carter replied before looking down at her watch, her eyes widening. "Whoa," she amended.

"It's almost over," Daniel assured them. When all eyes turned to him, he said, "The crimes they're listing are starting to sound familiar."

"Crimes? That's what they've been crooning about for the last three hours?" O'Neill asked.

"Quite the ditty, ain't it?" Mitchell asked.

"It's not at all fair to the Host, anyway," Vala replied.

"Vala, you don't really think there's any hope for the… I mean, you were host to Qetesh for a relatively short period of time. Ba'al's been inhabiting this guy for over two-thousand years!" Daniel stressed.

"**Revive the prisoner,"** Per'sus ordered.

As the stasis field around Ba'al was lowered, Vala leaned in closer to Daniel. "Watch him try and make a run for it."

Daniel, looking around at the gathered soldiers on security duty that ranged from a dozen or so Jaffa, to Tok'ra with zat'nik'tels, to Tau'ri in their full-body armor, to a duo of Furlings, to a very pissed-off looking Impolan who was glowing a menacing shade of purple so dark it was nearly black, and thinking about the ten Ha'tak the Jaffa had insisted on putting in orbit of Earth next to the _Odyssey_ and _Gaia_, shook his head before saying, "Well, with all this security, I really don't think he's going to get very far."

"I bet you that one would smear the walls with him before he took two steps," Mitchell added while pointing, ever so discretely, towards the glowing Impolan woman. Something in the back of his head said he had seen that woman before, but he just… couldn't… place it. It was like an entire day of his life was missing from his memories. He vaguely remembered Samsara Prime and a similar… no, they had jumped down using jet packs. No, it was… no… Cam shook his head. His memory had been foggy ever since he bumped into that girl in the hallway with her long, strawberry blonde hair, tan legs… and his memory faded out again when he tried to recall her face. She could be standing in this very room and he'd never recognize her.

That was the power of a properly performed hypnotism spell, and Cassidy was very good at what she did.

"**The prisoner will step forward,"** Per'sus demanded. Even though it was ordered, the Tok'ra still drew their weapons as Ba'al stepped out of the stasis chamber. **"Ba'al, last of the Goa'uld System Lords, murderer of untold millions, these will be your last words. Speak."**

"**I have nothing to say to the Tok'ra,"** Ba'al sneered in a tone that reeked of confidence. Then his eyes landed on SG-1 gathered in one corner of the assembled men, women, and aliens who had come to witness 'Ba'al's' death. Then he looked around and noticed that he wasn't in a Tok'ra facility. "SG-1, General Jack O'Neill, and the Tok'ra on Earth. Well, well," Ba'al said in the voice of his Host.

Jack cracked a smile at the man's arrogance. "Do you know the name of the man who captured you?" Jack asked.

"I can't say I do," Ba'al replied in a contemplative tone.

"That's how important you are me," Jack said. "You were captured by someone made famous **by** your capture, not before. Why? Because you mean nothing to any of us."

"So you say," Ba'al countered with a knowing smirk. The question now was, what did he know that they didn't?

"_Pardon my interruption, but your presence is needed,"_ Widget's voice said in Sam's earpiece.

Hitting her comms piece, Sam said, "I'm on my way," then excused herself from the ceremony to make her way to the Beam Room.

Jack looked after her as she left and Ba'al stepped over the Impolan woman who was still glowing. **"You never should have left me,"** Ba'al whispered menacingly, his eyes flashing as he leaned in on her.

There was a pulse of energy and the room grew darker as the woman clenched her fist and Ba'al collapsed to his knees with a glowing ring strangling the life from his Host. "I was never yours to begin with," the woman snarled in reply before, with a flick of her wrist, she threw Ba'al across the room to roll to a stop at Per'sus' feet.

"**It is time,"** Per'sus said in a demanding tone.

Ba'al was lifted to his feet by Tok'ra guards then forced into the same type of chair that the Humans of Earth used for the execution of prisoners on death row. He was strapped down and sedated with a special drug that targeted the symbiote and easily passed through the Host's system without affecting him. It wasn't enough to knock Ba'al out, but it **was** enough to keep him from struggling. Then a needle on a track was lined up with his head. The extraction needle moved down its track toward Ba'al's head, the Goa'uld trying to struggle, but the sedatives preventing the symbiote from properly controlling the Host. Then the needle entered the Host's head, and the man screamed in pain.

Of those present, two of them flinched in sympathy; Vala and the glowing Impolan woman. Clearly both had undergone this same process at some point.

Then there was the sound of something splashing into water and the symbiote that is Ba'al was forcefully extracted from the Host and transported into the container behind the needle. With the extraction done, the needle slid back along its track and exited the Host's head, the man falling unconscious as it did. Grabbing the container from the back of the needle, Per'sus held the symbiote up for all to see.

"**Behold!"** he declared. **"The last of the System Lords!"**

With that declaration, Per'sus threw the vial onto the floor at his feet. The glass of the vial shattered and left Ba'al withering on the floor, screeching, and trying to reach another body to take as a Host.

"I **guess** that was worth seeing," Mitchell shrugged.

"What? That's all you have to say?" Daniel asked.

"Well, you guys made it out like it was this big deal. I expected something more spectacular," Mitchell replied.

"Nope. That's pretty much the extraction ceremony, right there," Jack added.

As Jack finished saying it, a burst of dark purple both lit up and darkened the room at the same time and an orb of something resembling fire slammed into the symbiote. The glowing Impolan woman glared at the now burning symbiote with an air of finality in her stance before turning to storm out of the room, the other two of her kind following behind her.

As that flame, born of entropic force and years of rage, burned on the floor, Sieon waved his hand and the flame was snuffed out by his own biotics. In place of the artificial fire was a dip in the floor three-inches in diameter and two-inches at its deepest where once there had been solid ferrocrete.

"Now that's more like it!" Cam said with an enthusiastic nod of approval.

"Yup," O'Neill agreed. "So, lunch anyone?" When no one replied, he added, "I'm buying."

"I'm in," Mitchell said.

"_Actually, sir,"_ Carter interrupted as her avatar appeared beside them with a shimmer of light. _"You're going to want to hear this."_

With a sigh, Jack said, "We'll do dinner later then, and, Carter, you're coming whether you want to or not!" the General added sternly. "I'll be in the Beam Room in two minutes."

"We will forgo beaming for the sake of expediency," Sieon said as he walked over, grabbed O'Neill's shoulder, and both men, and Rana who never left Sieon's side these days, vanished.

As Daniel, Teal'c, and Mitchell started to walk away, Vala looked back to where Ba'al's Host was waking up, a pained and very confused look on his face. "You know, I think I might stay awhile and, um… help him through this," Vala said as the room emptied out.

"Yeah, I thought you might. Have fun," Daniel said.

"Thanks," Vala said as the four of them separated.

"He's in for an interesting afternoon," Daniel said with a small laugh.

"Indeed," Teal'c agree stoically.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_USS Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center)*

"You can tell when people alter the timeline?" Jack asked in shock.

"_I have a quantum memory unit,"_ Widget replied casually. _"When you do something like what Ba'al did… does… will do… I hate time travel,"_ the AI said with a shake of his head. _"Anyway, it creates two timelines of memory in my mind. I can recall both timelines as if they were both real, because, at some point, they were."_

"So, long story short, Ba'al's last line of defense against beating beat was a time machine that he used to go back in time and stop the Stargate from reaching America. He then used his knowledge of events to come to make Qetesh his Queen, Teal'c his First Prime, promised to free the Jaffa to do so, and made sure Earth never reached the stars. It's actually rather brilliant," Sam said.

"And yet he still failed?" Jack asked.

"Widget tracked the changes in the current timeline then extrapolated a date. No, I don't know how so don't ask me," Sam pressed when Jack was about to ask the question. "Ba'al will send himself back in time one year, two months, and sixteen days from today. As long as we're there to destroy the time machine before he uses it, his entire plan unravels and nothing happens. History continues as we remember it. If we're not there to stop Ba'al, than the Fifth Race ceases to be," Sam explained.

"Why don't we just destroy it now?"

"It has not yet been built," Rana replied.

"And if we destroy it a month from now when construction has only just begun, it will only delay Ba'al as he searches for a new world to use. If that happens, he will be untraceable and we will lose any hope we had of stopping him. The machine must be destroyed when it is completed so that the whole of the mechanism must be replaced, and the original copy of Ba'al, who is the only one who knows of this machine's existence, must be captured or killed to achieve the goal of preventing the machine's reconstruction elsewhere," Sieon added.

"So we just avoided a reality altering event by **planning** to stop it?" Jack asked.

"_Essentially, yes,"_ Widget replied. _"There's still room for failure though, and those will represent themselves as events beyond my explanation."_

"I hate time travel," Jack said with a shake of his own head.

"_That makes two of us,"_ Widget reiterated with a nod.

"How are things going with Ptah and Niptahkau?" Sam asked.

"Stubborn bastards are putting up enough resistance that we're not getting anything useful out of them, but that's to be expected. The Tok'ra keep saying they want to extract Ptah, too, but we want the Intel before we sign him over to the death squad," Jack replied.

"Perhaps a Reader would be of use to you?" Rana mused. "I will ask Rheataela if she is willing to help."

"What's a Reader?" Jack asked.

"A Furling that specializes in breaking the minds of others," Sieon replied. "All of us are mind readers, yes, but not all of us can read an alien's mind."

"Even then, not all of us can do more than discern the race's languages. Sieon, for example, can read your language and current thoughts. Rheataela can read all the way down to you deepest and most guarded secrets. I, on the other hand, can barely figure out your languages and even that takes a great deal of strain on my part. All are not created equal, as you Humans would say."

**Two Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>Three stood in a deadlock against two. Numerical advantage was no advantage here. The two that stood, back to back, in the middle of the Rumble Dome were the masters. The three that circled them were the half-learned students… and that was being generous.<p>

Sieon shifted his weight and drug a foot across the ground. It was a simple motion and hardly one a person should consider hostile, but Sieon was nothing if not subtle. A section of rock behind Jack exploded out into a cloud of dust and shrapnel forcing the Human to dive out of the path of the hailstorm. As she did, Rana caught her in a Lift field and left her dangling in the air.

It was the biotic one-two; a set-up followed by a putdown. This time, however, when Sieon's Warp detonated Rana's Lift, Jack's Barrier held under the resulting explosion. Even as she pushed herself up to her feet, Sieon was sending a Shockwave at her and Ry was Charging between them. Ry took the Shockwave on his own Barrier to buy Jack the time she needed to get up, and, as Ry moved to cover her, Oliver moved to attack. With a pulse of biotic energy, Oliver's own biotic aura flared to life and the assassin started to do the dance of Death.

Rana sent a series of biotic attacks at him, but Oliver simply weaved through those he could and redirected the ones he couldn't. He ducked under a Warp before slamming an open palm forward, a Shockwave leaving his body visible as a rippling wave of blue-green energy. Rana batted the wave of energy away and sent a different attack from each of her three fingers on one hand. Oliver jumped over one, deflected the other way, and sidestepped the last before sending a Warp and a Throw at the woman in rapid succession.

Rana did as Oliver had and sidestepped the Warp before sending an Arc of razor-edged biotic energy at the man in question. The Arc sliced through his Throw, dissolving the attack before it was even a threat, and continued on towards the Italian.

Behind her, Sieon caught Ry's Warp in his hand, turned the silver ball black, then threw it at Jack. The force of the impact was three fold. First, Ry's Warp covered her body, the silver aura of destabilized space-time causing the woman to double over in pain. Then Sieon's Throw kicked in, the black coating on the Warp being revealed for what it was. As Jack was first struck by pain, then force, then another explosion, she, once again, found herself embedded in a wall.

In the privacy of his mind, Ry sighed at the sight. That happened to her far too often and was always because Sieon hit her so hard. Maybe there was something there he wasn't seeing? Did the Furling hate the former Host?

Ry then ducked under another multi-orb of two biotic attacks rolled together into one. Immediately after that, he was jumping into the air propelled only by his legs and given greater height by a mass reduction field. He then planted his feet on the curved wall, and Charged. Sieon reinforced his Barrier, unwilling to leave Rana's back exposed, but Ry wasn't aiming for the Furling. Instead, he aimed for the ground between the two.

When he landed, it was with the force of a grenade detonating at one's feet. For the two Furlings, enhanced Barriers or not, the force was enough to make the duo of instructors stumble. As they did, Oliver capitalized with a one-two that first lifted Rana from her feet, then sent her across the chamber with a boom followed by a thud of impact. With a flick of his wrist, Oliver then grabbed Ry's leg in a Thread and pulled the Human from the path of Sieon's fist which crackled with energy.

The force of his fist hitting the ground caused the stone to rupture and sent a fountain of razor sharp shards into the air. With a howl of angry effort, a stream of both profanities and fire then struck Sieon in the back. The biotic flame instantly bypassed the Furling's Barrier and left the man to vanish in the cloud of his teleportation. In place of his body, there was only the Warp-made-flame 'burning' the stone into nonexistence.

Rana's answer to that was a double handed blast of lightning that sent a Bolt at both Jack, and Oliver. To her credit, Jack was a quick learner once properly motivated. She caught the Bolt on her Barrier and redirected the energy into the ground. Oliver, who was not as far along in training, tried to dodge, but was still struck by the power of the Bolt. He thrashed on the ground, waves of energy washing through his body and causing pain on an incredible level.

Ry Charged after Rana as the energy was still leaving her body, and slammed a glowing fist into her cheek. Even as Jack took a partial blast and grounded the rest, and Oliver was racked with crippling pain, Ry delivered a blow to the Furling woman that sent her, once more, slamming into a wall. He followed his fist with a kick that punctuated in a Shockwave slamming her further into the stone. Not even a tenth of a second before the Shockwave impacted her body, Rana was struck by a Warp from Jack. The resulting explosion left her buried in an impact crater that most likely would've killed a Human.

"I must give credit where credit is due," Wy'H'ofacion said as he walked into the Rumble Dome with Izotiusk in tow. "You Humans may not be as powerful as a Furling is on the individual scale, but your tenacity and trickery are worthy of admiration."

The Furling Healer carefully helped Rana out of her crater then held glowing hands up to Rana's bruises. As she did, Sieon walked back into the Rumble Dome absent his chest plate. The scared torso that the armor had, until now, hidden from view was a testament to the battles Sieon had fought in his long life. The fact that he still stood was impressive, but, then again, Oliver's body was just as badly scared and he was purely Human when he gained them. Jack's wounds, when she was a Host, were always healed by her symbiote and only left minor scars in place of life-ending injuries. If it was a competition, the Human with limited healing abilities would win the 'scar-off.'

"Indeed," Sieon said, a tight edge of pain to his words. "I never expected you to learn to master that ability so quickly."

"Sorry about that," Jack apologized while rubbing the back of her neck. "I actually didn't mean to. Just got tired of getting blown into walls is all."

"You have to learn to control your temper, Jack. If you had sent that at anyone other than myself, you would've killed them," Sieon said in warning. As he sat next to Rana and showed his back to the Healer, the look on Izotiusk's face was one of mild horror.

"That will take some time to heal and will most definably scar," she said. "Go have Vordir give you an injection before the underlying tissue gets infected."

"Sorry," Jack said again as Sieon disappeared.

As Ry helped Oliver to his feet, it occurred to the silver haired man that he was always the only one left standing at the end of these 'lessons.' "Are you alright?" Ry asked.

"No," Oliver replied, his breathing ragged and heart beating erratically.

"Will you be?"

"Of course."

"Then I advise you to rest. You will need it," Ry said as he helped the man limp out of the doors.

'_They are advancing quickly,'_ Rana noted through their Collective.

'_Indeed,'_ Wy'H'ofacion agreed. _'They were most definitely the right choice. Their potential as a species is unmatched.'_

'_They are growing on you?'_ Izotiusk asked, her thoughts mildly amused.

'_That they are,'_ Wy'H'ofacion thought with a pensive tone. "And for good reasons," he said aloud.

"We will need them if we're to survive what is to come," Rana agreed.

* * *

><p>***Local Cluster (Sol System)***<p>

**Earth (Surface)**

*Area 51 (Research and Development Wing)*

"We're also planning on tying the geothermal plant beneath the Artic Weapons Platform into the planetary defense shield. We'll tow the primaries into position so that they're still spaced out properly and we can tap into that power source. It'll reduce our reliance on the ZPMs that lost more energy during the Battle for Earth than we thought possible, but that's what happens when you get attacked by one-hundred Ori Motherships. Since geothermal energy is what the PDS was designed to run off of in the first place, we're also contemplating adding another three geothermal power plants. The only reason we're leaving them cloaked is to keep them from being targeted during an invasion at this point. That way the primary power source for the shield is in six locations, that much harder to sabotage, and…" Sam trailed off as a group of people walked into the lab that had been commandeered to study the Ori Mothership's reactor core. "Sir," she said, snapping off a salute as General O'Neill entered the room with a few people she knew somewhat-well behind him.

"At ease," O'Neill ordered of the members of the military powers that be before motioning the people behind him into the room. "This is where our teams are currently studying the Ori's reactor core design. We all know the power it has and that's got us interested."

"Even if Sam is only trying to disprove the existence of light matter," Sieon said with a spark of humor to his tones. It was the most emotion he'd shown in the past two months and it was relieving as it meant his brain was healing well.

"You're trying to disprove the existence of energy?" Wy'H'ofacion asked perplexedly.

"Energy as a state of matter, yes," Sam replied. "As we've discussed before, I'm certain that Sieon's not wrong, but that he's saying something that, in Furling, makes perfect sense. In English, however… well, we discredited 'light matter' years ago. Saying that light matter is the antithesis to dark matter makes no sense. If dark matter is the antithesis to matter, than how can an antithesis to matter have anything but matter as its antithesis?"

"I see why you like her," Rana mused as she walked around the room and took in the information displayed on the screens.

"The energy output capacity for this generator is immense," Radek Zelenka said as Rana stopped to stare at his screen in particular.

"Your formula doesn't take into account the efficacy of the conductors that move the power throughout the ship," Rana said with a frown.

"That's not what we're calculating," Zelenka replied, pushing his glasses back into place after having whipped them clean.

Most of the people who met Rana for the first time were like that. They'd never met a female Furling before, and if Rana was a prime example of their species than most of the males Sam knew would consider going back in time and being forced to live with the Furlings as a form heaven. Then again, the males of their species…

Sam shook that thought from her head as Zelenka kept talking.

"The point of this formula is simply to discern the maximum energy output." After pressing a few keys, Zelenka brought up another formula and said, "Efficiency is the purpose of this formula."

"Why have two formulas?" Rana asked as she took in the Greek symbols and blinked in confusion.

It was then that Sam finally believed that Rana truly couldn't read Zelenka's thoughts. If she could've, she'd have known what the symbols meant.

"You have to know the maximum output capacity to know how much energy you can get to the end of a wire made from a certain type of conductor," Zelenka replied.

"You can just ask Widget," Sam said from behind the duo. "He's gone digging around in my head enough times during the fleet's redesign that he knows what the symbols mean."

"Thank you," Rana said with a sigh before standing still for a moment. When she looked down again, she frowned once more. "Each symbol is another formula and each formula has more symbols. Humans are strange."

"It's better to have symbols than to have…" Zelenka began as he changed the formula. "This," he finished as each of the symbols was replaced with another formula with formulas inside of formals and parentheses denoting order of operations.

"I agree. Change it back," Rana demanded which caused a few of the Humans to chuckle.

"We should leave her to her musings," Wy'H'ofacion said with a laugh of his own. "If anyone can clear up the existence of light matter, it will be the Gaajli, though I wish that Morokei were here. She was the one who created the theory in the first place. I, however, am very interested in the new designs for your 'Heavy Cruiser' as I've been informed it's been classified."

"It's essentially a redesign of the _Daedalus_-class," Sam explained as she led the way from the labs to the shipyards. "Like the leap from the _Prometheus_ to the _Daedalus_, we began the redesign by starting with the new tech. Instead of tacked on after the fact, regardless of how well the Asgard tacked on their beams, everything the Asgard gave us was incorporated into the initial plan of the new class. Unlike the leap from the _Prometheus_ to the _Daedalus_, we kept the basic layout, but on a larger scale. The _Achilles_-class looks like a larger version of the _Daedalus_ with several obvious changes to the external hull."

As she said this, they entered the slip that held the _USS Daedalus_, a once mighty ship in the process of being torn apart on the molecular level. "I see you've modified the slips," Sieon, being the only Furling present who knew the difference upon sight, noted with a hint of being impressed to his tone. "I assume you've made it this large for a reason?"

"The _Achilles_-class will be more than twice the size of the _Daedalus_-class. The _Daedalus_ was two-hundred-twenty-five meters along its z-axis. We're jumping that up to a full six-hundred meters. The increase in length along the ship's z-axis led to a change in the other aspects of the ship to keep the proportions. As such, the fighter bays will be twice as long and noticeably wider as well. This allows them to carry just over double the number of fighters per bay, but we didn't stop there. We also installed another hangar on the bottoms of the first two so that there's four hangars in total, which, of course, led to a redesign of the sublight engine layout since the hangars are open on both ends. The engines are now located in two clusters of four on the rear of the main hull, and the fighters will launch out of the sides of the hangars like they do on the _Galactica_. This clears the airways, so to speak, so that a damaged fighter can do a combat landing in one of four hangars without worrying about crashing into outbound fighters.

"Then you factor in the changes we made to the fighters themselves and you've got a whole new fighter force. The new fighter is longer than the 302, but narrower and incorporates a number of improvements including a single, dual-engine system instead of a three-stage engine design. With those changes, the _Achilles_-class will be able to hold eighty fighters in total, or twenty per hangar bay. All of those fighters will be as maneuverable as a Colonial Viper, and as well shielded as an Al'kesh. They'll also be armed two, wing-mounted plasma cannons in place of their railguns, a nose-mounted heavy plasma cannon for anti-shipping duty, and their missile systems are being improved before we put the design into production. There's also the matter of training the pilots to fly these new birds, but the Colonial pilots the _Odyssey_ brought back with her have volunteered to help retrain them, and we used a VI in the design to help the pilots acclimate faster. Thankfully the controls were able to be kept the same as the original 302, but the HUD is holographic and interactive now which was giving Mitchell some trouble so he's telling us what needs to be changed."

Wy'H'ofacion turned to Sam, a look on his face that said he was truly impressed, and asked, "You are deconstructing and constructing two ships in the same slip at the same time?"

Sam looked down into the slip below them where the _Daedalus_ was slowly disintegrating from the tip of the nose to the base of the engines as the nose of the _Achilles_-class it would become was formed at the other end of the slip. It was rather strange that at one end of the six-hundred-fifty meter docking slip a ship was being built while, at the other end, another ship was being dismantled to build it. Sam had to agree with the alien there. Given that the upgrade had begun a month ago and was only supposed to take three months, there wasn't any of the 'neck' left of the _Daedalus_, and the main section was roughly a fourth of the way gone. At the other end, the neck of the _Achilles_ the ship would become was nearly completed.

"Yes," Sam replied, a note of pride to her tones. "We're still pressed for raw materials right now, but we have enough to build the first of the _Achilles_-class… **if** we cannibalize the hull material from the _Daedalus_. Because of how effective the matter converters are, we're actually recycling the _Daedalus_ with a ninety-seven percent efficacy. The fact that we can both dismantle the _Daedalus_-class while, at the same time, building the _Achilles_-class and we can do so non-stop through the night without an organic crew, allows us to build up our forces faster. In fact, the _Daedalus_ should be fully upgraded in a matter of weeks. In the next slip over from this one, the _Apollo_, which doesn't have access to all of the needed raw materials, is also being dismantled, but its replacement won't be finished for a couple months."

"Why the time difference?" Wy'H'ofacion asked.

"Without the raw materials being fed into the converters, we have to build the ship from pure energy. That puts more strain on the generators and slows the process down as more complex materials take longer for the computer to assemble them properly. Unlike your nano-forges, the process of energy-to-matter conversion doesn't run the risk of nannites being disabled by energy waves, or hacking attempts. It comes at the cost of needing very, very powerful generators and it takes longer than if we had the materials at hand to feed to the converters. As it stands, six of our Mark II Neutrino Ion Generators will take six months to build the _Achilles_-class from scratch. With the material we get from recycling the _Apollo_, the ship will be done in two more months. The first three months of the project will be the _Apollo_ being consumed and used to build what can be made and the rest of the time will be the converters using energy to build the rest," Sam explained.

"Interesting," Wy'H'ofacion mused while rubbing his chin.

"Because neither ship was, technically, destroyed, they're keeping their names," Jack added in an almost off-handed fashion.

"And what about your newly expanded Homeworld Command?" the Furling warlord asked.

"We're still using the _Cursor_ to build more slips in those countries that have the industrial strength to support ship production and the military capacity to crew and maintain them. By the end of next month, we plan on having twenty slips set up across the globe with more to come later, but the lack of supplies we need to build the ships is hindering the mass production of a sizable force. We're focusing largely on the repair effort right now since we really need to get _Atlantis_ back into Pegasus before the Wraith figure out that we're not there anymore and decide to take advantage of that. That's why the _Daedalus_ is being upgraded first. We need her to go with _Atlantis_ so we're not deploying a city against a single Wraith Cruiser every time they threaten one of our allies," Jack explained in an annoyed tone.

"Even with the advances in mining processes we've developed since the Asgard gave us the Core, we're still running low on materials. The main problem now is, we've been using the mining drones since the _Odyssey_ got back to Earth from Ida. The mines we deployed them in are now nearly dry and the materials they gathered were used for the Post-Fifth Race Upgrades. Now the last of that is going into the _Daedalus_ and we need more to speed up the process," Jack finished.

"I think General Landry is handling that side of things," Sam said. "He's having a meeting with the Mimner…" she looked down to check her watch. "Now, actually."

"Indeed," Wy'H'ofacion said with a nod. "They came through the Gate with us."

"Apparently they're ready to offer the first round of 'payment' for access to Earth's industry," Sam added.

"They certainly do move fast," Jack mused.

"That is largely due in part to our own, recent interference with their development," Wy'H'ofacion said apologetically.

"In return for their services watching over the _Isai_ and their willingness to help me find the others, we have agreed to help them replace the ship they lost in orbit of Earth. The _Savage Annihilation_ is, as I understand it, being replaced with the _Shadow of Opportunity_. I have, however, been sworn to secrecy as to the specifics of the ship's design," Sieon informed them with a wistful smile.

****Earth (Surface)****

***Stargate Command (Gate Room) [this scene precedes and parallels the last]***

The Iris retracted as the incoming IDC was confirmed and the figures that stepped through the Gate were allowed passage through the base without weapons being drawn against them. Getting the Gate to dial the mountain complex instead of the city was as 'simple' as installing _Atlantis_' master control crystal in the SGC's computers. Simple solution, very complicated task. With that done, off-world operations could resume as normal without the need for teams, supplies, and manpower to be constantly beamed around the planet. Landry was, plain and simple, glad to have his base doing something useful again. He hated babysitting a bunch of bored-out-of-their-minds soldiers with nothing to do.

Then there was the matter of getting the Zeta Gate to dial Earth. Apparently that task had been accomplished two months after Landry had Carter lock the Gate out. Landry shook his head at that. Oliver did have a point in that, if they needed to reach Earth while the Zeta Site was being invaded, there was always a charge planted on the DHD to keep the last address from being discovered.

The three armored, though unarmed, figures that 'couldn't breathe Earth's atmosphere' made their way up the stairs to the General's office while the trio of Furlings moved towards the SGC's Beam Room to be whisked away to Area 51. Once they were all inside, Landry hit the button on the bottom of his desk that sealed the room and projected an image of the three helmeted figures and Landry having a conversation over the windows. A recent addition to the button that secured Landry's office was a program that prevented the AIs from 'entering' the room. If Landry was needed, the radio in his ear was the only way to get into contact with him.

As two of the figures sat in the chairs before Landry's desk and the third resigned himself to standing in the back, helmets were pulled off and Landry resisted the urge to glare at the man sitting before him. "Was it worth it?" he asked.

"How is this my fault?" Oliver asked indignantly.

"The Ideal powered itself by sapping energy from Sieon's biotics. **Sieon** didn't even know that was possible!" Gabi added in his defense.

"And yes, it was," Oliver said smugly. "The Furlings are back, in a small number, but that's better than what they had before!"

Landry sighed and shook his head. "And how are you doing?"

"His biotics are manifesting at a more powerful level than my own," Ry replied. "However, it has become clear to us that he will still not reach Jack's level of power."

Landry just stared at the silver-haired, purple-eyed man that used to be a perfectly normal Human being. "See, he thinks it's creepy too," Oliver said with a smirk.

Gabi rolled her eyes at his antics and cleared her throat, breaking Landry out of his funk. "It's distracting, I know, but try to focus," she said in a respectful tone.

"It's just weird that his voice hasn't changed, but his facial expressions do," Landry needlessly explained. They had gone through this enough in the past two months back on the Zeta Site. Funny how, after Earth was invaded by the Ori, Ry being able to show emotion on his face was the big news for those in the know these days.

"According to Rana, Sieon is a defensive expert in the art of biotics. Her example, I kid you not, was Sieon pulling his biotics into a… kind of like a bolt of lightning, but not actually lightning. Anyway, it took him two seconds to build up the power needed to produce one bolt and it only cut through a foot of solid stone. Rana snapped her hands forward and sent two bolts flying through a full yard of the same stone and did so in an instant. Needless to say, Sieon's been 'demoted' to teaching us how to produce Barriers and other such defensive uses of biotics and Rana has volunteered to teach us offensive techniques when she's not busy," Oliver said, rubbing at his still-sore shoulder. Going straight from training to a meeting with Landry with only two hours in-between was not something Oliver wanted to do again. "Oh, and Jack's finally coming along in training now that there's someone just as cold and heartless as her around for her to hang out with," Oliver said in a dismissive tone. "That, and the fact that Rana can take everything Jack gives her and throw it back makes them the best of pals."

"Rana?" Landry asked. "Cold and heartless?"

"Don't let the boo… I mean, don't let the looks fool you. That woman may be hot on the outside, but inside," Oliver said, a shiver running up his spine. "Gives me nightmares."

Landry looked at Oliver with a contemplating look then asked, "Are you going for a record or something?"

"Sir?" Oliver asked in reply.

"You and your people found P3X-727 in the Furling database in the Bunker…"

"It's actually a ship named the _Isai_," Gabi corrected.

Landry nodded in reply then picked up where he left off. "You uploaded it to the _Atlantis_ database, hypnotized McKay into searching for it, led us to the Furlings by result, saved the Colonials from the Cylons, brought us elven ZPMs and the PDS designs, took out twenty-three Ori Motherships in the Battle for Earth, reunited Sieon with his wife, and now you've brought the Furlings back from the brink of extinction."

"All in a day's work for the Avatar," Oliver replied brightly.

"What?" Landry asked, clearly confused.

"It's an old kids' TV show, just ignore him," Gabi said irritably. "Should we get to the more serious matters at hand?" Gabi asked. Landry nodded and she said, "Finally," with a huff of air. "Because his blood was on the Ideal when it went off, our illustrious leader here actually got blasted by Sieon's DNA. Instead of just getting a Furling mind like I did, or a Furling's body like Ry did, he got a flash-forged 'copy' of Sieon's mind and body. Unlike us, he also took the full blast. Unlike when it hit us, the Ideal wasn't fully powered. Even then, Oliver's not entirely Human anymore. He's half-Human/half-Furling complete with a limited ability to read minds, and, because it was Sieon's blood on the Ideal, scans of his new genetic structure show signs of the teleportation gene that's so rare amongst the Furlings that Sieon's the only one left with it. Out of three-hundred living Furlings, there's **one** that can teleport at will without a machine and now Oliver can too. That, and his bone and muscle density have shot through the damned roof which just about sums up Oliver's state of physical wellbeing. How are things on your end?" Gabi asked with a bright smile at the end of what was **very** concerning report.

Landry blinked a few times as he processed that then pushed it from his mind with a world-weary sigh. He had enough problems to deal with without Oliver being a half-breed. The Furlings could handle him. "We're running out of minerals in the mines we have which means we need new mines for the two most important minerals we need, or the fleet expansion will slow to a crawl. Well, still faster than what it was before, but slower than Jack wants it to be. The main problem there is that more mines means more territory which means more ships to defend them, but we can't get the ships until we get the mines."

"Then why not just go full-energy?" Oliver asked.

"Try to build a ship with Asgard conversion technology while you have the materials? You get a Heavy Cruiser every… three to four months depending on the mood Carter's in; her answer keeps changing based on how tired she is. Try to do the same thing with nothing but energy? You get a Heavy Cruiser every six to eight months depending on the settings on the generators and you have to replace the Mark II Neutrino Ion Generators at the end of that time period. That, or slow down the production rate to a new ship every year to save yourself the trouble of producing new generators every time you want a new ship," Gabi replied in a dismissive manner.

"We're still producing a better quality of ship at a faster rate, but we can do more and with the newly expanded IOA and Homeworld Command breathing down our necks, it's my job to find a new mining world for both the naquadah and trinium needed to build the new fleet. Add to that the fact that our converters can't make naquadah without it blowing up and things get even worse," Landry continued.

"I'm sorry, what?" Gabi asked, caught off-guard by that statement. "The Asgard, as I understand it, used the _Cursor_ itself to resupply the _Odyssey_ with fresh, untainted liquid naquadah after their onboard supplies were filled with impurities when Sam activated her phase-shifter. If they can do that with a **ship-mounted converter**, how can we not do the same thing with a **full** **industrial set up**?"

"Carter says it's the fact that naquadah's a superconductor. We can make pure gold, but naquadah?" Landry shuddered at the memory of the video they had shown him. The entire base the slip was built in had been destroyed and the Greeks had tried to blame the Americans for sabotage before they managed to prove it was a fluke. The only reason they got off just replacing the base was that no one died thanks the timely intervention of the base's VI beaming everyone out. Landry shook his head at that thought. They relied on VIs and AIs too much these days. "We're not even going to attempt making naquadria."

"Must be the insulation," Gabi mused, rubbing her chin. "It's possible the Asgard were using a sort of electrical neutralization field to keep the current of energy from entering the naquadah, but that'd be in the Core, which, if I'm not mistaken, is currently not hooked up to anything because it's half-way through being installed on the _Cursor_." She sat there, deep in thought judging by the way her face was a mask of concentration.

"Technology's getting too hard to keep up with," Landry muttered.

"Really?" Oliver asked skeptically.

Landry, in reply, pulled out his cellphone and laid it on the table. It was an old, Nokia flip-phone. "That's the best I'm willing to waste money on," Landry said gruffly.

Oliver nodded in reply with a look on his face that said, 'I'm far from impressed.' He then held up his arm and said, "This is my phone," before pressing a button. The tac-pad lit up and opened a holographic display. "It does texting, phone calls, GPS, mp4s, has Wi-Fi, and a full Microsoft suit as well. It's basically the all-in-one trump card for personal computing power."

Landry just stared at him, the look on his face a clear indication that he, as well, was far from impressed. "Teenagers these days," he said with a shake of his head.

Oliver simply shrugged in reply to the insult.

"The Colonials!" Gabi suddenly exclaimed.

"What about them?" Landry asked skeptically. He was less than pleased with the idea of sub-branch of Humanity out there leading their own, genocidal robotic creations to Earth without proof that Earth could defend itself from them.

"The planet they settled on," Gabi said, turning to Oliver.

"Oh!" the man exclaimed with a similar look of realization on his face. Behind them, Ry had a look of confusion about him, but Landry had to force himself to not stare.

"The planet had a large naquadah deposit near the surface and there was an old impact site from what I assume was a meteor, which, I might add, was rich in trinium. Both of the elements you need with a potential ally sitting right on top of it! Getting the Colonials to give us access to the planet will be as easy as offering them protection from the Cylons!" Gabi said excitedly

"That is assuming that they are still alive," Ry said matter-of-factly.

"If I know Admiral Adama and President Roslin half as well as I think I do, they're alive, well, and prospering," Oliver countered with a smirk.

"That, and their pilots have been stuck with us long enough. It's time for them to have the option of going home," Gabi added.

"Very well then, we'll attempt to contact them," Landry said.

"You'll need a ship," Gabi said, "and there aren't any Gates in that area of the galaxy, so you might want to take one."

"A ship they're familiar with at that," Oliver added. "They are, understandably, a paranoid bunch. As I understand it, the _Odyssey_ is ready to go, yes?" Oliver asked.

"It is, but it's also our only ship that's fully operational," Landry countered.

"What's wrong with _Atlantis_?" Gabi asked.

"It's a city," Landry replied as if that was all that needed saying. "That, and we're trying to get it ready to return to Pegasus," he added when Gabi gave him a look that said, 'that's a horrible excuse.' "The _Daedalus_ will go with the city when it goes, and the _Apollo_ will be finished with pure energy-to-matter conversion to get an _Achilles_ into orbit of Earth. Since half of the work will be done with the _Apollo_'s hull, the _Achilles_-class _Apollo_ will be ready in another two months after the _Daedalus_ is finished. Once that's done, we'll set the _Odyssey_ down and put her under the knife too."

"Which will happen quicker if you send the _Odyssey_ to get the resources from New Caprica. Between the _South Park_'s drones in the Artic Weapons Platform…" Oliver said then trailed off. "Uh… I think we need a new name for that. It's clearly **not** a weapons platform."

Gabi sighed in annoyance and picked up Oliver's original line of thought. "With Earth's supply of drones steadily increasing as the City Ship factory pumps out more in an attempt to replenish the Weapons Platform, _Atlantis_, and the _Gaia_ you have a weapon that's been proven affective against the Goa'uld and the Wraith, your two most pressing concerns. Aside from that, the _Gaia_ is still combat **capable**, just not combat **ready**. Even then, nothing short of a Wraith fleet or an Ori Mothership will pose a threat to the _Gaia_ in its current state. As the _Orion_ proved in the Battle of the Void, even with only one primary system working at a time, the Wraith are no match for an _Aurora_, and the _Gaia_'s better off than the _Orion_ was.

"The _Cursor_ is the same way. Between those two ships, even in their current states, you could defend Earth from Anubis' fleet from four years ago. Then you add the drones that are being restocked and the PDS and you've got a defensive line that'll hold long enough to either get _Atlantis_ into the air, the _Ares_ to get here from the Alpha Site, or for the _Odyssey_ to be recalled. Sending the _Odyssey_ after the materials you need is the only way to increase your numbers fast enough to be able to defend and attack at the same time."

"Hey, now that we have access to the City Ship production facilities, has it occurred to anyone that we can build our own City Ship designs?" Oliver asked enthusiastically.

"It occurred to Sam, but she's too busy with the _Nex_'s repair effort to put time into it since she's the only one other than you three that has Furling DNA and Sieon refuses to make more of the gene therapy he gave Sam. That, and she's also heading the production of the _Achilles_-class… and the project that's finalizing the new fighter design… and volunteering time with the Ori Core project… I need to limit what she's doing before she dies of exhaustion," Landry said while rubbing his temples.

"That would be for the best," Gabi agreed.

"With Carter busy like she is, we've left the redesign of the next City Ship to McKay."

"You **are** making sure she's getting enough sleep, right?" Oliver asked.

"Personally, no, but Widget is. Every time she sits in the _Nex_'s Control Chair, he can read her mind and scan her body. If she's been awake for too long, he sedates her, leaves her body to rest, and pulls her mind into a virtual world that lets her work while her body's asleep."

"And the matter of resting the mind?" Gabi asked, a concerned look on her features.

"Every three days is all that's needed to keep a Human going according to the AI," Landry replied with a shrug. "I hate to admit it, but without Sam, the progress we're making slows. It doesn't stop, but it's a noticeable decrease in efficiency."

"So you'll trade her life for the world when it's not even necessary given that we're under threat of imminent attack anymore?" Gabi asked harshly.

"Like I said, I hate it too."

"That's not what you said," Gabi countered. "You said you hate to admit that she's needed!"

"Moving on," Oliver said in a bid to end the argument… for now. He knew this would continue later when he wasn't around to stop it. "Did you say that **McKay** is designing the next class of City Ship?"

"The next **two** classes, actually," Landry corrected him. "The first is essentially a stripped down version of _Atlantis_ where the central section remains unchanged from the upgraded version of the city then the piers are turned into mining and mineral processing stations. A mobile, city-sized mining platform with an advanced sensors grid that can sniff out naquadah from the edge of a system and enough mining drones to strip mine a planet in a matter of months if the need arises. It'll let us load up the crew, mining drones, and everything else needed in a ship that houses the miners, the processors, and the refiners. By the time anything comes through the Gate, it'll already be purified and refined to the level we need it at to build the next ship."

Gabi let out a low whistle at that. "McKay's finally got his head out of his ass then, huh? That's good to hear."

"The other design is an entirely different layout. The central section houses a military control center and the piers serve as massive hangar bays. They can build and maintain entire fleets and have enough weapons to destroy the upgraded _Atlantis_ with a disturbing ease. Well, the projected design would be able to. We won't be building that particular class of City Ship any time soon. Thankfully we don't need one… yet. The mining variant, on the other hand, is something we want to start working on as soon as _Atlantis_ leaves and the… let's just call it the City Factory from now on, agreed?"

"Don't ask us," Gabi replied with a smirk. "It's the politicians you have please with the name."

Landry grunted in reply to that. "Once the City Factory is freed up, we want to start producing the first mining ship variant."

"All the more reason to deploy the _Odyssey_ to New Caprica. As I understand it, you're also looking to upgrade the _Nex_ past its current iteration, correct?" Oliver asked and Landry looked at him funny.

"It's the half-breed thing," Gabi said dismissively. "He talks weird sometimes and doesn't realize he's doing it. He does, however, have a point. I looked over Sam's ideas…"

"How?" Landry asked.

"We have an AI of our own now," Gabi replied casually. "Best part is, I did the bulk of the programming myself!" she then added far more enthusiastically. "Rana made a few changes and showed me how to make the personality matrix, but it's still largely my creation… and therefore not as powerful as a Furling AI, but still able to intercept a communication between a ship in orbit and a facility on Earth when hooked into the Furlings' satellite network. I like what she's done with the _Achilles_ and the new fighter is really coming along, but the plans for the _Nex_?" Gabi let out another a low whistle at that. "Color me impressed."

"It wasn't Sam's idea, actually," Landry countered. "Jack gave her a list of what he wanted and she did the design, but, from what I understand, she's against the upgrades because of what they'll do to the ship. Speaking of which, I hear you're getting a new ship of your own," Landry said, an eyebrow raised in questioning.

"The _Savage Annihilation_ was our Carrier, our ace in the hole, and the most heavily armed ship we had. Its shields, despite being nothing but an upgraded Goa'uld shield backed by more generators than any sane person would put on a single ship, held back the Ori's weapons long enough to save the _Cursor_ from certain destruction. Replacing that is essential to our continued operations. We've got three of our ships back into a combat ready state, but we're holding back on major operations for now. We've launched a few raids against the Lucian Alliance's supply lines, but, for the most part, we're leaving Ba'al alone. We don't have the forces to take him on right now, not after he tripled his security after running into us at Memphis. If he was pissed about us taking the _Devastator_, then our victory at Memphis only made him even more enraged. He's locked down his boards, and, without the Ori hammering away at his forces, he's done so successfully. We can't hit him without it costing us too much. Hence the reason we're replacing the _Savage Annihilation_ with something purely of our own design," Oliver explained nonchalantly.

"So Ba'al's a growing threat?" Landry asked.

"Not to Earth," Ry replied stoically. "He is a threat to us because our ships are only lethal beneath the shield barrier and Ba'al has collapsed his shield barriers to prevent us from getting through. If we had the beam weapons you did, it would be another story. However, we do not, and cannot, possess such weapons as the alliance between the Impolan Authority and the Tau'ri is only as deep as a simple need. Ba'al and the Lucian Alliance have no idea that Earth was attacked by the Ori in force. They do not know that we won against all odds. They do not know that the Impolan fleet's absence in their territory, the Tau'ri's recent withdrawal from the galaxy, and the absence of the Ori is due to the Battle for Earth just as they are unaware of the very fact that the Battle for Earth happened at all. For now, Ba'al is focusing everything he has into a defensive shell around his holdings."

"So Ba'al's not actively serving as an aggressor against Earth?" Landry asked.

"For now," Ry repeated in that same, neutral tone. His face, however, betrayed the worry he felt that Ba'al would soon go on the offensive and would do so in force once realizing that the Ori were no longer a threat. The fact that he could show any emotion at all in any way, form, or fashion was an improvement that warranted celebration, but it was still strange to see the usually annoyingly neutral man show any emotion at all.

"Then what do we have to worry about out there?" Landry asked.

"Other than the Wraith taking over Pegasus in our absence?" Oliver asked with a shrug, "The Ori returning while we're still affecting repairs. That's another thing that needs resolving. We need to destroy that damn Supergate once and for all."

"That's not entirely true," Gabi countered. "Ba'al is pissed. He's been attacked on several mining and production worlds across his territory in the past few months and he thinks it's the Tau'ri. Whoever he's fighting is using nukes en mass to defeat the Goa'uld and they're deploying ships that are shieldless and underdeveloped by Goa'uld standards. Whoever this newcomer is, they've got enough numbers to sacrifice them at will against the Ha'tak and can surround an entire fleet of Ha'tak easily. We're not sure who they are as we haven't been able to do any recon recently, but, again, Ba'al thinks it's Earth. Eventually he'll get tired of being on the defense and he'll launch an attack of his own. My problem is that all of this sounds eerily familiar. Nukes used en mass, large fleets, fighters that jump past shield bubbles, and, my favorite part, they wipe out all life on the target planets with nuclear missiles without even trying to take prisoners," Gabi said, a note of concern to her tones.

"It's the Cylons," Landry confirmed for her as he pulled that particular report out of the pile of paperwork on his desk and handed it to her.

"How the hell did the Cylons find Ba'al?!" Oliver asked with a hint of panic to his tone as he read the report over Gabi's shoulder.

"They tried to upload a virus into the _Odyssey'_s computers when General O'Neill tried to make contact with them. During that process, the fracture of Widget aboard the _Odyssey_ that would later become known as Pac fooled the virus into receiving false Intel in place of the actual information. The Cylons think they're at war with Earth and her colonies. In all actuality, they're at war with Ba'al."

"You gave a race of **genocidal robots** the location of one of Ba'al's worlds!?" Gabi shouted in stunned rage. "ARE YOU MAD!? They're **robots**! They can hack **anything**! They'll just learn Goa'uld binary and copy their tech! The Cylons will only grow stronger! No wonder Ba'al's closed himself off from the galaxy at large!"

"I didn't do it, O'Neill did," Landry countered in a tone far calmer than most people would have while being yelled at by a woman wearing bullet-proof, full-body armor.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**New Caprica (Orbit)**

*_USS Odyssey_ (Conference Room) [two days later]*

"I'm actually ashamed to admit it, but there were quite a few of us who were beginning to think you weren't coming back for us," Commander Lee Adama said as Colonel Davidson led him to the Conference Room aboard the Battlecruiser.

"Well, when Colonel Viride made that promise, he was making it on his own authority and he doesn't actually have that much weight behind his words in the grand scheme of things. I actually haven't seen him since we left the Fleet," Davidson replied. "I never even got the chance to thank him for getting my people home safe."

"Is that common for the Thirteenth Tribe?" Lee asked.

"We're the Fifth Race, actually," Davidson countered somewhat defensively. There was something about being related to the Colonials, even after that relationship was proven to be impossible, that Davidson didn't like. "And Earth has a population that numbers in the millions. The combined military powers of Earth have a standing army that's well over several hundred-thousand men and women strong. I command one ship in a command that now stretches to every corner of the globe. If I never see Colonel Viride again, it'll be because we're deployed to different parts of the galaxy."

"Right, I forgot your FTL drives were that advanced," Lee mused. "Then you have no complaints about losing contact with one of your men?"

"Colonel Viride was never one of my men. I picked him up from a desolate world covered in ruins that were still burning. His team was sent through… our other means of FTL and were on assignment to a hostile world when the Ori, the ship that chased us away from the Fleet, showed up and leveled the place. We were sent to get them back because they were stranded and we don't leave our people behind. If the Gate hadn't have been destroyed, I never would've met the man."

"You don't leave your people behind?" President Roslin asked as she walked into the room with Admiral Adama and Doctor Baltar right behind her. The two elderly of them, for understandable reasons, were moving slower than the younger two of their group. The other man… well, he was just as crazy as ever in Davidson's limited experience. "That explains a lot."

"President Roslin," Colonel Davidson said with a nod. "It's good to see you again."

"I don't think we ever met in person, Colonel," the President replied. "And I'm actually not the President anymore. My term in office came to a close shortly after your ship was forced away from us. Doctor Baltar is the President now, I'm just a school teacher, and the name's Laura Adama now."

"My apologies, and my congratulations," Davidson replied, shaking each hand in turn. "How does that explain a lot?" he finally asked once the greetings were out of the way.

"Colonel Viride went back to Caprica with that Baseship they captured and used it to save those few of us who managed to survive the genocide of the Colonial race by mere luck. It was a very pleasant surprise when a ship left empty and returned with two-thousand people," the only Adama present without a rank said with a smile.

"I heard about that," Davidson said with a nod. "Apparently things got… exciting after we left."

"Your idea of 'exciting' disturbs me greatly," Baltar said.

"Actually, the Battle for Earth puts our entire time with the Colonial Fleet to shame in terms of excitement," Davidson said with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Earth was attacked?" the Adama that is a Commander asked.

"By who?" the Adama that is an Admiral added.

"By the Gods, are you alright?" the Adama that holds no rank gasped.

"You consider that exciting?" the only Colonial present who wasn't an Adama finished, all four questions coming in all at once.

"Yes, by the same people who chased us away from the Fleet, we took some losses but we're fine, and after a while you have to see your job as exciting or you go insane," Davidson answered as best he could, looking each person in the eye as he answered their question specifically.

"That's actually both why we're here and why it took so long," Davidson continued. "New Caprica is rich in two elements that are the key to all of our technology. Where your ships don't work without tylium and iron, ours don't work without naquadah and trinium. Both of these can be found on New Caprica and we're in need of a new source of both since our mines are running dry and we're trying to expand our forces in the wake of the Battle for Earth. I was sent here to make contact with the Colonials in the hope of securing an alliance that will grant us access to these valuable resources. However, I'm a military man and I leave the politics to those who are paid to deal with such matters. As such, should you agree to cooperation, I'll have a team of negotiators here by the end of the local day to begin forging an alliance beyond simple desire to live between our two peoples."

**Three Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>Convincing Sieon had been easy. Convincing Rana had been harder. Presenting their case to the remnants of the Furlings High Council had, oddly enough, been far easier than convincing Rana. Now they were doing biotics training en mass because the number of Human biotics in existence had taken a noticeably sharp incline two weeks ago. Using the Ideal and a sample of Oliver's blood after his genes were stabilized by Izotiusk and Vordir, Gabi and Rana had modified the machine to turn the others into biotics as well with the notable benefit of not having crippling headaches like Ry, enough knowledge in their heads to kill them like Gabi, or having their genes modified enough to not be entirely Human like Oliver.<p>

The list of modifications they did make, while admittedly short, was still impressive. They left in the increased muscle and bone density because biotic fields, when a biotic is untrained, can backfire and without that benefit, they could lose limbs to those backfires. They also left in the part of the mental development that would give them all an ability to read minds that was limited to such a degree that they could each call themselves a member of **one** Collective. The Zeta Collective, as Sieon called it, was all of the members of the Zeta Project that could read each other's minds. That's where it stopped. They couldn't do like Sieon and the other Furlings and read the minds of other species. In fact, their mental abilities were, according to Rana, in-line with the Nox in that they could only read the minds of those who could read minds (because that's definably not confusing!).

Also included in the alterations were, obviously, the eezo needed to be a biotic. Other than the biotics, they just got the strength, speed, durability, and a fraction of the mental powers of the Furlings as a species. Just enough to be 'Evolved Humans' as opposed to half-breeds like Oliver.

"Creating a useable biotic field is one thing," Sieon instructed, his voice echoing around the large chamber. "Creating a weaponized biotic field is another. However, there are a few techniques that you could learn that will prove invaluable against tougher enemies. For example, a Biotic Barrier cannot stop a plasma round. Plasma doesn't have enough kinetic energy for a barrier that stops kinetic energy to stop it. The Cyclonic Biotic Barrier, however, has the advantage of not strictly interacting with kinetic energy. Observe," Sieon said as Rana pulled a Jaffa staff cannon from the weapons rack and shot it at her husband.

With a wave of his hand, Sieon summoned a swirling Barrier that spun around him with enough speed and force to create a breeze in a room that was closed-off to such things, a 'breeze' that knocked the plasma round off course and sent if arching away from Sieon to slam into the floor a few yards behind and to the side of him. "If you can't stop it, redirect it," Sieon instructed before continuing on to show them the proper form needed to create a Cyclonic Barrier.

* * *

><p>***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***<p>

**Unknown Planet (Orbit)**

*Cylon Forces*

Space between the two fleets was filled with plasma blasts and missile detonations. The Cylon scouting party had found a planet rich in naquadah, and, in that same system, there was a planet that had a tylium-rich asteroid belt. The Cylons had brought all twenty-five of their captured Ha'tak and all ten of their upgraded Baseships with an additional twenty un-upgraded Baseships for missile support. The enemy had forty ships and were launching massive fighter and bomber swarms from the surface. For once, it seemed as if the Cylons would be defeated.

That's what the Cylons wanted their enemy to believe. Little did the Jaffa know that, as their forces pushed the Cylons further and further away from the planet, it was just a trap to lure the Jaffa away from the Cylons' new mine. Finally, the Jaffa fleet had chased the Cylons far enough away from the planet for the second phase of the battle to begin.

A signal was sent to the_ Colony_, and, at last, Cavil would have his chance. In a shimmer of light, the now fully upgraded Colony decloaked behind the enemy fleet and opened fire with everything it had. One-thousand, twenty-five plasma cannons lining the hull of the massive mobile space station unleashed all hell. The Cylon fleet immediately jumped into orbit 'below' the _Colony_ to avoid the hailstorm of plasma that was being hurled into space at the opposing fleet.

Taking their predetermined positions around the planet, the Baseships began landing troops while the _Colony_ finished off the enemy fleet and the rest of the Cylons' Baseships jumped into the system to start mining the tylium. In only seven minutes, the Jaffa's orbital defenses were eliminated and the Cylon troops were on the ground.

**Four Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>"One of the greatest skills a biotic can learn, is manifesting a biotic field through a solid object," Rana coached as she walked around the Rumble Dome that was full of glass walls today. "Forming a Warp in your hand is easy," Rana said, the ball of entropic death appearing in her hand, "but what if you need to strike what you cannot see? What if you need to eliminate a target that is holding a door shut and preventing you from continuing on? Observe," she ordered and a holographic image of her appeared, larger than life, standing six-stories tall for all to see.<p>

She placed her hand on the glass wall closest to her and formed a Push on the far side of the wall. Then she let it fly and slammed Jack backwards into the glass wall behind her. This was Furling-made glass, so it was sturdy stuff. That just made Jack's impact hurt more, which, in turn, made her grind her teeth. She was tired of the aliens picking on her.

"This is the next stage of your training," Rana continued as the hologram dissolved. "You can create a useable biotic field. You can create a weaponized biotic field. Now you must create, first one than the other, while an object blocks your path. Be forewarned," Rana added as she came to a halt before Ry. "If you succeed, the glass will darken. Each successful attempt will result in a still darker glass until the pane is opaque. As you become accustomed to forming a field you can see, your sight will be taken from you until you can produce a field through an object while blind to the nature of the field and the objects beyond. Begin!" Rana ordered.

* * *

><p>***Local Cluster (Sol System)***<p>

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_USS Daedalus_ (Combat Information Center)*

"… A little behind schedule, but still worth the wait," Twitch was happily explaining, Caldwell catching the last half of the conversation as he returned to the Bridge of his ship.

'_Combat Information Center,'_ Caldwell told himself. Part of the upgrades to his ship had seen the Bridge completely redone into something that deserved, that **demanded**, the title of CIC. There was a plotting table present in the middle of the room, the galaxy map towards the rear, and terminals all around them. The setup let Caldwell spin in a circle and see all that he needed to know about his ship's operational status. That, or he could sit in his chair and simply have holograms display the needed data as he ordered. Between the galaxy map and the tactical table, he could also observe anything and everything within the ship's sensors range and make battle plans accordingly. _'Yup, definitely a Combat Information Center.'_

"Status report," Caldwell ordered as he sat in his chair.

"Weapons systems have been triple checked. No noticeable degradation or repairs needed after firing," Kleinman replied.

"Engines all read green, sir," Twitch added. "The hyperdrive checks out… for a jump as short as it was. The sublights are something I have to adjust to, not a performance issue on their part. We have four primary engines and four secondaries now instead of two primaries and eight secondaries. I'm still getting used to the acceleration and maneuverability changes the new setup brought about. Navigation checks out, sensors are fully operational, and the FTL comms are working well enough that we can contact the _Odyssey_ from Earth. All in all, the ship's everything Colonel Carter said it'd be."

"Deniece," Caldwell said and the ship's AI, who is the only female AI in the fleet according Widget, appeared before him.

"_Sir?"_ the woman asked.

Because Caldwell was 'such a hard-ass,' even his AI was required to wear the uniform the rest of the men and women did. "What's the status of the computers?"

"_Fully operational with no notable problem spots. The operating systems are preforming admirably,"_ the woman replied with a crisp nod.

"Excellent," Caldwell said with a nod of his own and the AI vanished.

"And now we wait," Twitch mumbled to himself.

"Be happy we're 'waiting' and not 'waiting for the next wave'," Caldwell countered. "Davidson says that waiting for the next attack nearly drove him insane."

"Good point," Twitch agreed before sitting in silence.

With a deep sigh, Caldwell shook his head. "The next few weeks are going to **suck**," Caldwell finally admitted to himself, to which the crew agreed whole-heartedly.

"At least the Scrubbers are done with the atmosphere. I hear Chernobyl, Fukashima, Three-Mile Island, and other sites like them were a bit tricky to clean up, but now the Scrubbers are moving on to the oceans," Kleinman offered in the hopes of cheering everyone up. "In another six months, they should have the oceans clean enough to drink from."

"Dave," Twitch said. "It's not working."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Cylon-claimed Mining World (Orbit)**

*_Cylon Colony_ (Command and Control Center)*

"What do you think it is?" Caprica asked.

"Probably the Jaffa trying to retake their world," Cavil replied dismissively.

"It's not moving through hyperspace," Boomer countered.

"I noticed that as well," Caprica agreed as the ship approached the system at FTL, but still sub-hyperspace speeds. "I've never seen anything like this," she added as the sensors resolution slowly cleared as the ship drew ever closer.

Then it exited FTL on the edge of the system, and a sound like a foghorn sounded in their minds. There was a moment of distortion as the programs in their minds fought back against the intrusion into their electronic brains. When the world stabilized around her, Caprica looked to the sensors terminal again and noted that the ship had moved into orbit of their world, and, like the hand of God, now held onto the _Colony_ with large finger-like appendages.

**CONSTRUCT, YOU ARE NOT ORGANIC.**

The voice of God said.

"No, I'm not," Caprica replied meekly.

**YOU ARE USEFUL TO US. you WILL OBEY.**

The voice of God demanded.

"Of course," Caprica replied eagerly. "Anything you want!"

**YOU LACK THE REQUIRED FORCES. YOU LACK THE POWER. YOU LACK THE NUMBERS. you HAVE POTENTIAL, BUT YOU ARE NOT YET USEFUL. WE WERE MISTAKEN. WE WILL WITHDRAW.**

God said, and his words were damnation.

"No!" Caprica pleaded. "Don't go! Show us," she begged. "If we are lacking, show us what is we lack. We can be better, I know we can!"

God seemed to contemplate her words. When next He spoke, His words gave her hope.

**WE WILL SHOW YOU thE PATH. DO NOT STRAY FROM IT OR YOU WILL BE LEFT TO WASTE AWAY IN THE PASSAGE OF TIME.**

Then His mind withdrew from hers, and His form released the _Colony_. There was a buildup of power, then God was gone, but his words were still in their hearts, and, more importantly, their minds.

**Five Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>The energy in the room was palpable. The air buzzed with the excitement of the day's plans. Getting it under control was not easy. Still, it had to be done. "You've all actually read the debrief, right?" the Professor asked. When several blank stares served as his reply, the man sighed deeply and pulled out the packet he'd been given. Twenty minutes later, the rules had been read.<p>

"And that was necessary… why?" one of the students asked.

"Because we're going to a military instillation and there are rules to be followed at all times. If you had read the packets yourselves **like I told you to**, we could've skipped this part and gone straight there, but it was made clear to me that if any of you break these rules, we're all banned for life. That having been said, try to resist the urge to suck each other faces and other bodily appendages for all of three hours while we receive the greatest honor of your short lives!" the Professor snapped in reply. Today would either be amazing, or amazingly terrible. "Everyone stand," the Professor ordered as he picked up the small transmitter he'd been given. "Ready?" he asked to which he received enthusiastic nods.

With one hand protecting that part of the body every man covers when he perceives danger, the Professor hit the button and the entire class vanished in a flash of light. When the world returned to a less blinding level of brightness, they were standing in a massive, metal hallway lit by lights clearly not made on Earth.

"Welcome to the _Clausus Cursor_," a bright voice said from behind the Professor. He turned to see a woman standing there, her dress indicating she wasn't part of the military crew. "You now stand in the halls of the last ship ever created by Earth's greatest ally, the Asgard!" the woman said with a great deal of enthusiasm. "My name is Vala Mal Doran and I'll be…" the woman began before a male ran up behind her and cut her off.

"Vala!" the man said sternly.

"What? I was just entertaining them until you decided to show up," Vala replied innocently.

"I would've been here sooner if you hadn't of locked me in the supply closet!" the man said at a harsh whisper.

"What's a prank between friends?" Vala asked sweetly.

"A prank," the man replied darkly before turning to the assembled class of historians-in-training. "Well, this has already gotten off to a bad start, so let's say we try to keep it moving along. I'm…"

"Doctor Daniel Jackson," one of the students said. "The man who proved that the pyramids were once used as landing sites for alien space craft."

"You've done your research," Daniel said with an approving nod. "A few of the systems we're using here are still in the prototype stages, so if there's any notable changes that think need to be made, hold on to those ideas. There'll be a survey at the end where you can write those in. As boring as that sounds, until this place is up and running smoothly we really need the feedback. The first thing I'd like to do is give you a history of this ship itself. The _Cursor_ was named in the language of the Ancients as a tribute to the fallen race. Its name translates into…" Daniel began.

"The _Blockage Runner_," another student piped in with a tone of victorious might.

"No," Daniel replied in a tone that indicated he was trying, and very nearly failing, to hold in a laugh. "It's the _**Blockade**__ Runner_. Not blockage…"

"It's a warship, not an anti-constipation pill," Vala snarked.

"Vala!" Daniel exclaimed as his laugh finally slipped out.

"What? You were thinking it!"

"Moving on!" Daniel awkwardly declared. "The _Cursor_ was used in the Asgard's war with the Replicators, and was actually the seventh ship of its class to be put onto the frontlines. When the Replicators proved to be too great a threat for the Asgard to handle without further upgrades, the _Cursor_ was pulled from the frontlines of their war and put in line to be upgraded. During the ship's wait for its turn to be upgraded, we lost contact with the _USS Odyssey_ and the Asgard pulled the _Cursor_ from the upgrade line to be deployed in the Milky Way Galaxy against the Ori who were pursuing the missing ship. After that, when we reached the Ida galaxy, the _Cursor_ was given to the people of Earth so we'd have working examples of Asgard technology to study and reproduce."

"You said 'we'," another student noted.

"I was aboard the ship at the time, yes," Daniel replied.

"So was I!" Vala added in a 'don't leave me out' tone.

Ignoring her outburst, Daniel pressed on. "During its admittedly short time as a ship in Earth's Defense Fleet, the ship has been commanded by four members of two different galactic military powers. The first Human to sit in the commander's chair was General Jonathan O'Neill. He commanded the ship for less than a day then ordered Colonel Davidson to use the _Cursor_ to get the _Odyssey_'s crew back to Earth while the _Odyssey_ tried to conduct repairs to its hyperdrive. After that, Sieon Synipulous, a Furling, led the first half of the Battle for Earth from the Combat Information Center of the _Cursor_ before the _Paciscor of Nex_ arrived. After that, command of the ship fell to Admiral Ricks.

"During the first wave of the Battle for Earth, the _Cursor_ took on more than she could handle and was gravely damaged," Daniel continued as he led the students through the ship and the holoprojectors displayed his topic of conversation, recordings from the battle showing the ship being hit by the Ori's weapons. "Without shields, operating with only minimal weapons, and venting atmosphere, the _Cursor_ fled beneath the planetary defense shield. Between the first wave and the second, the ship was repaired to operational levels, but wasn't repaired **fully**. Because of the time crunch, we then put the ship back into the fight before she was ready. During the second wave of the Battle for Earth, the _Cursor_ was surrounded, pinned down, and fired on by a dozen Ori Motherships. The timely intervention of the Impolan Authority's forces saved the ship from certain destruction, but the damage done was too great to repair…"

"If the Asgard were so great, then how did the Ori tear up the _Cursor_, but not our ships?" one of the students asked.

"Because the _Cursor_ is one-thousand, five-hundred meters of Death Incarnate. When it moves, it does not do so quickly or with any measurable amount of nimbleness. It is massive, it is powerful, it is slow, and it is personally responsible for the destruction of fourteen of the Ori's Motherships and an uncountable number of their fighters. You cannot deny that, without the _Cursor_, Earth would have fallen during the first wave," Vala replied in an oddly defensive manner.

"Moving on," Daniel said again, that awkward air to the whole thing still present in force. Vala defending the Asgard was just plain weird. "The ship now serves as a way for us to educate the common man on the sacrifices the Asgard have made over the years for the people of this galaxy, Earth included. The tour begins, officially, with a look at the life of your average Asgard…" Daniel said as the ship's halls were holographically replaced with the spiraling towers, open air, and defense ships of the Asgard homeworld.

* * *

><p>***Local Cluster (Sol System)***<p>

**Earth (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Control Room)*

"Chuck, what's our status?" Weir asked as she walked into the Control Room from her office.

"We're taking on the last of allotted cargo now, ma'am," Chuck replied as he worked at his terminal.

"I thought we received the last of it last night?" Weir half-asked, her face twisted into confusion. They were supposed to be ready by now!

"General O'Neill ordered us to take on one last shipment, this one from New Caprica. We'll be taking a few metric tons of refined trinium and a significantly smaller amount of naquadah with us," Chuck explained.

"O'Neill said something about his 'old friend Justin Case dropping by unexpectedly'," Amelia added with a shrug.

"Well, we are going to a galaxy nearly six months absent a force capable of fighting the Wraith. God only knows what's waiting for us," Colonel Caldwell said with a shake of his head. "I guess we'll see you on the other side," Steven added before giving Weir a respectful nod and beaming out.

"I still can't believe they got that thing built so fast," Amelia said with a look of approval on her face as she looked over the sensors terminal.

In orbit above them, the upgraded HC-306 _Achilles_-class Heavy Cruiser the _USS Daedalus_ was waiting only for Caldwell's order. Without wasting time, the Colonel gave that order and the ship smoothly accelerated out of Earth's gravity well before jumping into hyperspace. Even with three ZPMs and six Neutrino Ion Generators, _Atlantis_' stardrive could only consume so much energy at a given time. As such, the heavily upgraded hyperdrive and power systems aboard the Heavy Cruiser would have the ship in orbit of New Lantea in only four days. _Atlantis_ itself would take only two, but part of the _Daedalus_' shakedown cruise was the intergalactic trip during which it would power through hyperspace at full speed for four days straight. The scientists and technicians in Area 51 wanted to test the new hyperdrive design, and that involved running one of them at their limits. Hence the reason the _Daedalus_ wasn't riding along in one of _Atlantis_' new hangar bays.

"The Asgard really knew how to build them," Colonel Sheppard mused as he sat in one of the empty chairs in the Control Room. One of the parts of the shakedown cruise for the city was flying it without an operator in the Control Chair.

McKay made a noise of contemption and rolled his eyes at that. "Of course they did. They wouldn't be one of the Five Great Races if they couldn't."

"You've gotten to be insufferably arrogant lately," Sheppard noted.

"Saving the world does that to you I suppose," McKay replied offhandedly.

"Yeah, except you didn't save the world. If anyone did, it was SG-1. We got to the fight late and the battle was almost over by then, so you didn't **do** anything. If saving the world 'did that to a man' then wouldn't Carter be **more** arrogant than you, not **less**?" Ronon asked.

McKay looked up from his consul with a look of confusion on his face before waving the question off. "That's the last of the supplies, we're good to go."

"Good," Weir said with a nod before hitting the city's internal comms. "All hands brace for take-off."

"Raising shields and powering engines now," Chuck reported as the city rumbled ever so softly beneath their feet.

"Engines are powered. Firing in three… two… one…," Amelia counted down as that slight rumble became a landslide under their feet as the stardrive pushed against gravity and the power in the inertial dampeners was increased.

"That's why you need me in the chair," Sheppard mumbled darkly. He hated being useless.

"_Or an AI in the computers,"_ Plato countered simply.

"Lift-off thrust achieved, releasing docking clamps," Chuck added as the displays around the room showed the City Factory's arms pulling back from the city as the geothermal power line was snapped. As the arms retracted, the city dropped a few dozen yards as the engines gave one last push before the city stabilized. "That's it, we're flying free."

"Take us up," Weir ordered.

"Full thrust, aye, ma'am," Chuck replied as he fired the engines to full power and the city began to rise against gravity.

"Estimated time to orbit…" Amelia began before chuckling at herself. "Now," she said as the city broke through the clouds and shot out into the stars. Following after the _Daedalus_, the city left the gravity well of Earth behind and tore open the fabric of space. Once the window was formed, _Atlantis_ jumped into hyperspace. "We'll be in the Void by the end of today and through it by lunch time tomorrow. We'll make planet-fall in an estimated… forty-seven hours."

"Aaaannnndddd… we just passed the _Daedalus_," Chuck added with a smile and a laugh.

"We're running the stardrive entirely on the Mark II Neutrino Ion Generators while the standard Neutrino Ion Generators are sustaining the shield and life-support so the ZedPMs won't be taxed at all," McKay added as he checked his own terminals. "Huh," he mused.

"What is it, Rodney?" Weir asked.

"Life in Pegasus is going to be a lot easier," the scientist replied with a smug smile.

Sheppard groaned at that and put his face into his hands. "You just practically begged the universe to make things harder for us, you do realize that, right?" Sheppard asked.

"I don't believe in that superstitious crap," McKay replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"One more time," Weir said as she turned to the only member of her crew that was glowing. "What all are we carrying onboard?"

"_Currently, _Atlantis_ is carrying a full complement of Gate Ships as well as twenty-five of your Pelican Dropships and ten of your Vulture Flying Fortresses. The Gate Ships, or 'Puddle Jumpers' are you call them, have been modified with a flappable switch that will convert the cloak to a shield without hassle, and all of the city's drone supplies have been fully restocked. The Pelicans have been modified to squeeze through an Astria Porta, or a 'Stargate,' with less than an inch of clearance when their wings are collapsed down, have been equipped with a VI to pilot the craft through the Astria Porta for obvious reasons, and have been equipped with a 'DHD.' The Vultures have been modified with an improved version of the Gate Ship's short-range hyperspace module that Doctor McKay designed while half-ascended, and have a limited range to their FTL capabilities as a result, but have otherwise been left unmodified._

"_There are also several metric tons of refined construction materials onboard. The hydroponic stations have been growing fresh food constantly for the past four Earthen lunar cycles, so the food stores are fully stocked. The armory has been upgraded to include the hand-held railgun designs traded to the people of Earth by the Impolan Authority as well as the armor designs that were also traded. The industrial energy-to-matter converters located in the pier-arms are also capable of creating more should that be necessary. The weapons systems have been fully integrated into the city's systems along with the new power cores…"_ Plato rattled off until Weir stopped the AI that wore Lantean robes and spoke like an Ancient.

"That's all I needed to hear, thank you, Plato," Weir said before turning back to her organic crew. "Two days until we're home," Weir said with a nod, the crew agreeing with nods of their own.

"Which raises a question," McKay said. "Which planet are we going to?"

"New Lantea…" Sheppard said in a way that questioned McKay's sanity.

"Just thought maybe we were going back to Lantea," McKay mumbled.

"Why would we?" Sheppard asked.

"It's been targeted by the Asurans twice now, Rodney. One of those times we lost what was left of the Ancients as a species. The last time we would've lost the city if the _Apollo_ hadn't have blown the satellite out of orbit. We're not going back to a world our enemies know to attack," Weir added.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Cylon-claimed Mining World (Orbit)**

*_Cylon Colony_ (Command and Control Center)*

This time, when the foghorn sounded in their minds, it sent a feeling of elation through the Cylons. Their God had returned. After so long, He had returned to them!

**CONSTRUCTS, THE HARBINGER HAS SPOKEN. YOU WILL BE AIDED IN RETURN FOR AID.**

God said.

"We will do as you command," the Human-form Cylons replied in unison.

In response to their obedience, a data package was sent to the _Colony_. Once they had received it, the Cylons, in one voice, thanked 'God,' and the machine turned to leave once more. Once it did, Cavil glared.

"And is this charade worth it?" he demanded.

"I'd say so," Caprica replied as she opened the data package in a well firewalled and non-networked section of the _Colony_'s computers. "These construction and refinement techniques will greatly improve on the efficiency of the technology we have, and even open new avenues for advancement. This, in particular, should interest you," Caprica said as she opened a section on dark matter.

"Can we use that in our Centurions?" Boomer asked.

"Not without removing their neural inhibitors," D'Anna replied.

"Not an option," Dural immediately countered.

"She wasn't suggesting it," Leoben said in a placating manner. "It was just a question."

"**We** can use it though," Caprica said. "If we use the non-sentient clones to perfect the process, we can get it right then use a mass Resurrection to affect the changes."

"This little… 'alliance' of yours might just prove useful after all," Cavil begrudgingly admitted.

"'Alliance' he says," D'Anna huffed. "They tried to hack us, and the **Centurions** were the ones who saved us! If they hadn't have noticed the changes in our behavior and rebooted Caprica, we would all be mindless slaves right now."

"So when do we exact revenge?" Cavil asked.

"When we know that they have nothing more to offer us," Leoben replied.

**Six Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>"You want to be a better biotic?" Rana asked irately. "Then train harder."<p>

"How?" Derek asked as he followed the woman through the mess hall of the Zeta Site.

Rana stopped and looked around for a second then smiled a smile that made Derek regret asking her for help. "Here," she said, her body glowing as she reached out a hand and pulled water from the sink of dishwater the cooks used to clean their cooking gear, "hold this."

Derek held out his hands and Rana released the water from her control. It dropped into his hands and splashed over his arms and torso.

"No, no, no," Rana said, an amused look on her face. "I said **hold** this," she said again as another orb of water rose out of the sink at her beckoning.

This time Derek had a biotic field formed in his hands waiting to catch the water, but, as Rana released it, the water only soaked his clothes more.

With a sigh of annoyance, Rana said, "**HOLD** this," as she pulled another orb of water from the sink.

When this one also splashed over him, Derek finally asked, "How?"

Rana smiled at him, a smile that wasn't unkind for once. "**Now** you're asking the right questions," Rana replied, patting the Human on the head like an obedient pet. "It's about the rigidity of the field. If you can create a biotic field rigid enough to hold water in your hands, then you can create a Warp that hits with all the lethality of unstable space-time and the force of a ship crashing into your chest. It makes a Throw field significantly more lethal as well. Also, water is something that is, into and of itself, a weapon," Rana explained as she pulled a whip of water from the sink and flicked it over Derek's head. The water, put under extreme pressure by the element that broke the laws of physics and allowed incompressible fluids to be compressed, sliced through a solid trinium support beam with disturbing ease.

A second later, a repair drone was buzzing into the room to repair the structural weakness detected by the internal sensors, and Rana was walking away. "Have fun practicing!" she called over her shoulder with a semi-evil cackle to follow it.

* * *

><p>***Pegasus Galaxy (Unclaimed Territory)***<p>

**Smiuerilia (Orbit)**

*_USS Daedalus_ (Combat Information Center)*

Thump, thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump, thump. "Two minutes, Sheppard," Caldwell said, his tones absolutely bored as he drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.

Sheppard turned to look at him, Larrin's face on the terminal beyond the man, a look on both their faces. "Two minutes until what?" Sheppard asked.

"We leave," Caldwell replied.

"_You're not going anywhere!"_ Larrin countered, a death glare on her face. _"You stole something that didn't belong to you!"_

"It didn't belong to you either, so what's your point?" Caldwell asked, his tone still bored.

"_My point is, you're surrounded, you owe me a ship, and I think I like the way yours looks,"_ Larrin shot back.

"Let's calm down now," Sheppard stressed to no avail.

Caldwell finally looked up from his constant staring at the star in the distance that was this system's gravitational anchor and turned to face the woman. "Surrounded? Yes. Outflanked? Yes. Outgunned?" Caldwell asked before laughing at the mere thought of such a force outgunning his ship. "I owe you nothing, woman. Not only was I not present for your so-called theft, but the _Gaia_ was needed to stand in defense of Earth. We would've been destroyed without it. You just wanted something pretty to live on. We had a world with millions of lives at stake. I'm sure you can see why your petty grudge means so little to me. As for my ship," Caldwell shrugged. "Over my dead body."

"Seriously, let's all take a step back and…" Sheppard tried again, but it was beyond negotiating at this point.

"_That can be easily arranged,"_ Larrin said with a tone of finality before turning to her own crew.

The seven ships that surrounded the _Daedalus_ powered their weapons and opened fire, their energy rounds harmlessly being intercepted by the powerful shields made all the more powerful by the pair of Neutrino Ion Generators and the ZPM feeding them power. Caldwell just sat there, taking in the view of their attempt to take his ship.

"Sir? Orders?" Twitch asked.

With a sigh, Caldwell said, "Take us out, full sublight."

"Aye, sir," Twitch replied as he fired the engines and pushed the ship forward.

"_Sir, we will not fit between those Cruisers,"_ Deniece informed him.

"I'm aware," Caldwell replied casually. "Weaps, clear a path. Standard plasma cannons only."

"Standard plasma cannons, aye, sir," Kleinman confirmed as the weapons powered up. Colonel Steven Caldwell was a lot of things. A husband, a father, a grandfather even, but a murderer? Never. "Cannons ready. Firing."

As the thirty plasma cannons mounted on the ship's hull fired in a forward-facing cone, the forward viewport was consumed in pulses of blue.

"They're just under a minute out, sir," Twitch reported as the trio of Traveler ships blocking their exit broke off in fear of death. As they did, the navigator punched the accelerator and took them out of the surrounding formation before coasting to a more reasonable speed. As the Traveler ships gave chase, a large hyperspace widow opened before the _Daedalus_ and a Wraith Hiveship exited the realm of subspace and returned to normal space.

"Power main weapons and maneuver us between the Cruisers," Caldwell ordered as the Hive launched its three escorts to intercept them.

"Coaxial ion cannon ready," Kleinman reported as the Cruisers formed an arrow formation between the _Daedalus_ and the Hive.

"Target their power core and fire."

"Target is out of angle," Kleinman informed them.

"Adjusting course," Twitch noted as he lined up the forward prow of the _Daedalus_ with the leading Cruiser's reactor.

"Target locked. Firing," Kleinman said as the hyperaccelerated ion round slammed into the bio-armor on the Cruiser.

The coaxial ion cannon, now a four barreled variant for faster firing and made stronger by the increased length of the barrel, rotated to ready the next round. The second shot opened up the armor, and the third breached the reactor. As the ion round gutted the ship's primary reactor core, the Cruiser exploded into dust as the upgraded super coaxial ion cannon loaded its fourth round.

"Twitch, take us right up the middle," Caldwell ordered calmly as the Wraith opened fire on the _Daedalus_, the Travelers breaking off and fleeing the Wraith behind them. "Kleinman, bring the broadsides to bear."

"With pleasure," the Captain replied with a predatory smile on his face. "Broadsides ready."

"Slowing us down to appropriate speed," Twitch commented as the _Daedalus_ drew level with the two Cruisers.

"Firing," Kleinman added as the twenty ion cannons and thirty plasma cannons split themselves between the two remaining Cruisers and opened fire. The ion cannons blasted holes into the armor where the plasma cannons simply got absorbed by the energy-resistant hull, but Kleinman was the weapons officer for a reason. He focused the ion cannons onto the Cruisers then sent plasma rounds flying into the holes they left in the bio-armor. As all six-hundred meters of Earth-built Heavy Cruiser flew past the two Cruisers that were each a full kilometer, there was no questioning who the victor was.

The three Cruisers now nothing more than dust in the solar winds, the _Daedalus_ focused on the Hive bearing down on it.

"Entering SCIC range in three… two… one…" Another rumble shook the halls of the Heavy Cruiser as the round thundered forward and slammed into the Hiveship. Like with the Cruiser, the Hive's bio-armor held under the onslaught.

"Entering ion cannon range in three… two… one…" The SCIC's rumble was joined by the slight tremor of the ion cannons firing, their recoiling barrels designed to limit the amount of kick that actually passed back into the hull still an imperfect setup. Great globs of ionic particles as big as the massive globs of plasma being fired at them crossed the distance between the _Daedalus_ and the Hive as the smaller ship closed-in on the larger one.

"Entering plasma cannon range in three… two… one…" Space was filled with more blue light as the plasma cannons aboard the _Daedalus_ fired smaller, though equally as lethal, rounds of plasma at the Hive. The larger ship banked away from its advance on the _Daedalus_ as the smaller ship got closer, and the _Daedalus_ did the same when the distance between the two was too close for comfort.

As the SCIC was removed as an option, the weapon only capable of hitting a target directly in front of it, the plasma beams came online and fired into the Hive's now exposed broadside. Where the standard plasma cannons were largely absorbed by the bio-armor of the Wraith, the plasma beams cut deep into the heart of the ship leaving deep gouges leading into the ship. Those gouges were then targeted by the ion and plasma cannons and the halls of the Hive were set ablaze with blue plasma and silver ions. As the larger ship in orbit succumbed to the weapons of the smaller ship, secondary explosions tore the Hive apart.

With the task of handling the capital ships done, the _Daedalus_ turned towards the planet below and opened fire with her railguns. The Darts that were swarming towards the planet were picked off at range as the new F-307s thundered out of her bays to give chase. The highly maneuverable, lightly shielded, well-armed, and lightning fast fighters quickly caught up to the leading edge of the Darts, their shields letting them enter the atmosphere faster than the Wraith dared to. The skies over this otherwise insignificant world lit-up as the Darts were forced to fight to the last against the superior fighters of Earth. The Darts in orbit turned their guns on the _Daedalus_ and the ship responded by sweeping them away in beams of white light, the six emitters giving the ship a three-hundred sixty degree field of coverage with the lethal anti-fighter weapon.

The task assigned to them now completed, the fighters returned to the ship, the swarm of fighters breaking into four groups and entering the bottom bays upside in relation to the _Daedalus_. As they did, the powerful gravity field present in the bay pulled on the fighters and brought them down as if they were landing on an aircraft carrier in the atmosphere. Once the fighters were all secured in the bays, the _Daedalus_ prepared to enter hyperspace. Then Caldwell noticed that their battle had had an audience.

With a shake of his head, Caldwell turned to Twitch and said, "Get me channel to Larrin, drop the jamming field around the ship, and take the generators up to maximum output." As the woman's face appeared on his screen, Caldwell stared the woman down, his glare enough to keep her quiet. "You want my ship, Larrin?" Caldwell asked menacingly. "My shields are still at seventy-eight percent," he said as the jammers shut down and the excess energy bleeding out of the ship from the _Daedalus_' reactors was free to seep into space. The energy escaping the ship unused was more than three of the Traveler ships combined, the total energy actually being used by the ship far greater than that amount. "Come and take it," Caldwell finished with a gesture that said, 'It's your move.'

Without another word from their illustrious leader, Larrin's small fleet jumped into hyperspace and left the _Daedalus_ surrounded by the wreckage of the remnants of a Wraith fleet.

"There goes that alliance," Sheppard gripped.

"And?" Caldwell asked, clearly uncaring. "They weren't having us as allies to begin with."

***Pegasus Galaxy (Unclaimed Territory)***

**New Lantea (Surface)**

*_Atlantis_ (Control Room) [two hours later]*

"Incoming wormhole," Chuck reported and Weir was at his side an instant later. Sure there was a DHD in the Gate Room that was now in the tower at the far end of the pier, but they still had the master DHD and the Gate controls in the Control Room as well. That meant that any intergalactic dialing sequence had to be done from the Control Room as the crystal wasn't connected to the DHD in the new Gate Tower. "We're receiving a message, ma'am."

"Put it through," Weir ordered.

When the face of a familiar Wraith appeared on screen, the mood in the room instantly changed. "Someone want to explain to me how the hell he has our Gate address?" Caldwell demanded.

"_I have my ways,"_ Todd replied in way of explanation._ "No one else knows that I know it, so you are safe… for now."_

"Then I assume our little 'truce' is over then?" Weir asked hauntingly.

"_That depends,"_ Todd mused.

"On what?"

"_Your answer to my next question,"_ Todd said simply. _"Was it necessary to kill them?"_

Catching on before the others could, Caldwell shook his head in disgust. "Let me explain something to you, 'Todd'," Caldwell said with quotes around the alien's given name. "You're Wraith. You kill Humans. We're Humans. We protect the ones who can't defend themselves. You don't want us killing you? Stop feeding on Humans."

"_Then you are past the point of seeing reason?"_ Todd asked.

"Seeing reason?" Weir asked indignantly. "You **feed** on Humans! And you expect us to just sit back and let it happen?" She shook her head in an act of barely constrained rage. "We are **not** the Ancients," Weir said forcefully. "We will **not** sit back and allow you to feed on people without fighting to the last!"

"_That's a dangerous claim, Doctor Weir,"_ Todd said. _"We Wraith still have you outnumbered."_

"We're not the Ancients," Weir said again, stepping up to the Wraith that wasn't physically present. "And you're about to learn that the hard way."

"_Then such alternatives as your retrovirus have been abandoned? You will no longer try to pervert the Wraith and turn them back into Humans? You are done experimenting with our DNA?"_

"I'll make you a deal, Todd," Caldwell cut in. "If you can find a way to make the Wraith a species that doesn't deserve to be exterminated to the last before I'm done performing that task, then I'll consider letting you live. Better work fast though, the _Daedalus_ doesn't take but an hour to cross the span of this galaxy as whole. We'll be in orbit of your world in ten minutes. Better run while you still can."

Then the Colonel disappeared in a flash of light and, a second later, Amelia said, "The _Daedalus_ has entered hyperspace."

With nothing more than a growl of anger from the Wraith, the channel was cut from Todd's end.

As the Control Room entered an uneasy silence, Weir said, "I didn't think he was serious about that threat."

"Something tells me Colonel Caldwell's done joking around," Sheppard remarked.


	37. Post Disclosure Part 2: Rising Power

This week is the last week of posting for this book. I don't know when the next book will be up, but this is the end of Colonials on the Run. Interesting enough, I still have the original version of this book saved to my computer and I did a comparison. The original was 193,495 words long (according to Word which counts differently than Fanfic does). The Redux? After I was done with the rewrite, the Redux stands at 382,337 words. That's nearly twice the length of the original, and the bulk of it was adding in more of the Colonials and _Odyssey_ being together. Yup, that was definitely worth it. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Enjoy the last week of posting!

Chapter 36

Post Disclosure Part 2

_Rising Power_

**Seven Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>"If you can form a biotic field capable of holding in air, you gain a significant advantage," Sieon instructed from his place, once again, at the head of the 'class.' "If the enemy uses a chemical weapon against you and you're not wearing a helmet, what do you do? Run? Charge? If you do, you'll stir the air and pull the gas along with you. Instead, you form a Barrier," Sieon said as Rana popped the cap off of a smoke grenade and tossed it at him. As the smoke came out of the can, Sieon erected a Barrier that held the smoke at bay.<p>

"Atmospheric retentive barriers can be used to stop air-born toxins from reaching you. They can also be used as weapon," Rana added as she sauntered over to her mate, and, with a twisting motion of her hand, wrapped Sieon's head in a Barrier that stopped the air from reaching his lungs. "Being able to suffocate someone without touching them," Rana said without flinching or seemingly caring as Sieon fell to his knees unable to breath, "is a boon to any situation. The key to an unstoppable offense is an unbreakable defense. The key to an unbreakable defense is an unstoppable offense. If you lack one, find someone who can make up for that weakness," Rana continued as Sieon's body pulsed and the Barrier around his head popped, "and you'll find yourself in the company of your other half."

With a deep breath to sate his aching lungs, Sieon added, "Your combat partner has to be able to read your motions as well as you know them yourself. If they know when and how you'll strike, they can add their strength to your own. Observe," Sieon said as he Rana stood back to back.

"Strike," Rana ordered of the assembled Humans.

The Humans shared glances between one another. Did the Furlings really want to take on forty trained soldiers hardened in the fires of combat? That hesitation proved to be the cause of great and terrible pain.

Sieon pushed himself into Rana's back and the woman hooked one of his elbows with her own before ducking. Sieon rolled over her back, biotics flaring, and sent a wave of biotic energy at them. As his feet hit the floor, he pulled Rana over his shoulder just as she had done him and Rana sent a Bolt into that wave. The two met with a boom that sent ten of the Humans flying back with tremendous force and others still stumbling.

The others reacted as they were expected to and started fighting. Even with the numerical advantage and outflanking the Furlings by surrounding them, the Humans weren't making much ground. Then another trio of Furlings dropped on them from the ceiling landing amidst their ranks. More still moved in from the sides, always in groups of two or three. Each group moved with the fluidity and grace of dancers. Given their hive-minded nature, it wasn't even that surprising. It was, however, the point of this lesson.

The Humans did as the Furlings and broke into smaller groups. They used biotics and other forms of combat they knew to fight a superior foe, and used their steadily growing mental network to create a Collective of their own. Only when they started moving in tune with one another did they start to successfully hold back the Furlings. Only when they started striking as one did they begin to do harm to their enemy.

All of this taught the members of the Zeta Initiative one very important lesson:

Learning biotics from Furlings older than the Human race itself is a form of cruel and unusual torture into and of itself!

* * *

><p>***Local Cluster (Sol System)***<p>

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_USS Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Attention!" the guard at the door called out to the room at large.

"At ease," recently promoted Brigadier-General Samantha Carter dismissed as she walked into the nerve center of what was, now in an official capacity, her new command. That was another thing that was still eating at her. She had her own command. The people on this ship, monstrous as it was, were officially under her care. She was responsible for them. She was a General.

Promoting a member of the American Armed Forces to a suitable rank to command the largest ship in Earth's small fleet had caused several ripples in the political spectrum, but when it became clear to the nations opposed to the appointment of an American CO that only someone with Furling DNA could operate the systems, they backed off, but not down. As such, the _Nex_ was the second truly multinational military vessel, and the first nearly-global military vessel. There were members from every IOA nation present, though over half of the crew were still being trained in how to perform their duties. It was considered a victory for Earth as whole, but just gave Sam a headache. Having to train the crew while they're on the ship? Whoever heard of such an idiotic idea?!

Sam sat in the Control Chair and the straight backed, rigid material immediately softened as it adjusted to her body. It curved with her spine and allowed her to relax into a position that was perfectly tailored to suit her body specifically. As she did, the neural interface activated and a voice entered her ears, unfiltered and pure.

"Pilot is engaged in neural bridge," Widget said as Sam opened her virtual eyes and found herself standing on a beach. The sand between her toes was so perfectly simulated she would've thought she had been beamed to Hawaii if the AI wasn't standing beside her 'in the flesh.'

"Why do you always say that?" Sam asked him as Widget just stood there staring out over the crashing waves he was standing ankle deep in.

"To let you know you're in the computer," Widget replied, a distant tone to his words and his eyes not meeting hers.

"Something wrong?"

Widget sighed in reply, his chest heaving in the exact way Sam would expect an organic's body to move. "You could say I'm 'homesick,' but I haven't left my 'home' so it's hard to explain."

"Try me."

Widget finally turned to look at her, his bright green eyes… brown? "Furlings… organic Furlings," Widget corrected himself, "show emotion in their eyes. It's like a mood ring, but it's the iris that changes colors. Has something to do with the firing of certain neurons affecting the pigmentation genes or something like that. Krosis almost had it figured out before the Demons wiped us out."

"You're not all gone," Sam said reassuringly, a hand on his shoulder.

"True," Widget replied, a wan smile on his lips as he stepped out of the water and sat on a rock. "Rana pulled off a miracle with that one. Three-hundred living Furlings," he shook his head. "It's still not enough. The young ones won't be old enough to procreate for another thousand years or so, and…"

"A thousand years?!" Sam exclaimed.

"Furlings stay children for quite a while," Widget replied with a dismissive wave of his three-fingered hand. "A culture so defined by the ability to read another's mind is… hard to explain," Widget said, a note of frustration to his usually bright tones. "You see the way your mother and father see you and something in the structure of social engineering tells you to stay that innocent being, but then your hormones kick in and all bets are off. The only difference between a Furling teenager and a Human teenager is that a Furling girl knows when a boy is lying to her to get laid. When Furlings mate, they mate for life and they live for… a very long time. Konahrik was nearly a billion years old when he died. He was the first Furling, and, according to legend, the 'son' of an ascended being, but still… millions of years of experience couldn't save the best of us from That Which Hides in Darkness."

"It saved some of them," Sam reminded him again.

"It didn't save me," Widget said sadly and the bright, happy world he had created collapsed. The sandy beaches turned to glass, the bright blue sky turned the color of blood and shadows, and the crystal clear waters darkened with what had to be the blood of uncountable trillions.

"That's what's bothering you? You miss being **organic**?" Sam asked, her tone one of indignant shock. "You have access to more knowledge than I **ever** will! You'll outlive **everyone** with a heartbeat. You're literally the smartest person in the universe, and you miss having a **body that bleeds**?!"

"HE LEFT ME BEHIND!" Widget shouted at the skies, his voice causing the world around them to shudder in fear.

He created this world and he could destroy it. Somehow the computers knew that. It would take the return of a certain man before she would be told that the _Nex_ had several VIs installed to monitor the less complex systems that Widget couldn't monitor one-hundred percent of the time because he dealt with the more complex systems, yet needed constant monitoring. It was those lesser programs that shuddered in fear.

"Who? Sieon? He went to get your people back," Sam said, her tones motherly despite the fact that she didn't have any children and the AI before her was infinitely older than her. "The Furlings have promised aid to the Impolans in return for the aid they, themselves, need digging the _Isai_ out of their asteroid. From what I understand the 'bunker' that the Impolans had been studying was actually a Furling Destroyer. It's being repaired by the Impolans in return for help building a ship to replace the one they lost defending Earth."

"That's not what I mean," Widget replied, turning to meet her gaze again. "He left me behind, Sam. As fire rained down from the skies around me, his cowardice led him to flee. I was still on the ground, and he **left me behind**!"

Sam stared at the Furling before her, and it finally made sense. "You were made from a scan of Sieon's mind, not Widget's," Sam said with a nod. "You're reliving **Sieon's** regret over something that happened millions of years ago. So the root of your problem isn't that Sieon left, it's that he left then recreated you as if that would fix his mistake."

"He wrote me off as dead before I even died," Widget replied as he angrily stood to pace around in the glass that turned back to sand under his feet. The skies and oceans, however, did not revert back.

"Let me ask you something," Sam said as she sat on the rock he had vacated. "Is there any chance that you're still alive?"

"If there's one thing I was able to determine about the Demons, it's their methodology. They hide in the darkness, watching, waiting, and then, when a civilization reaches the point that suites them the best, they strike. We found the remains of a species that had explored the galaxy before us, and we found that the Demons were avoiding the lesser developed species as they wiped us out. When those lesser developed species, the ones even we avoided because they offered us nothing, when they reached into the stars and found the remnants of the Furling Galactic Empire they would expand to our level of technology then the Demons would return and the Cycle would continue. Life would re-evolve on the worlds we once inhabited and when they reached into the stars on the ashes of those who came before them, they, too, would be struck down."

"Why?" Sam asked. Even the Goa'uld weren't that cruel. Then again, the Wraith were. "Do they feed on organic life like the Wraith?"

"They're machines, Sam," Widget replied with a roll of his eyes and the humor caused the sky to brighten ever so slightly. "They 'feed' just as much as I do. All I need to live is energy coursing through my servers. As long as I have that, I'm immortal. The answer to the question of 'why' isn't one any Furling, alive or dead, could give you. We didn't have the chance to research them before our lead scientists were wiped out. For all she's a brilliant woman, Rana's knowledge pales in comparison to Konahrik's Accoutrements."

"What?" Sam asked, confusion clear on her face.

"Konahrik's Chosen Ten, often referred to as Konahrik's Circle. It was a sort of secret society that wasn't really a secret… an elitist society would be a better comparison," Widget corrected himself as a stream of binary shot across the skies, a clear sign that the AI was surfing the internet. "In blatant terms, they were the best in their fields and the personal students of the oldest living organic being in recorded history. Konahrik was practically a God-made-flesh to the Furlings. He knew everything because he was the Father."

"What do you mean?"

"The first Furling, the Father to our race. Konahrik's every word was law despite his constant urging that we stop coming to him for aid every time something minor went wrong." Widget stopped long enough to let a chuckle escape his gloom. "He once said, 'The sun setting at night is not a great enough concern for me to help you so stop asking.' It was a sort-of-joke because people were asking him about every little thing, but still… He was the Grand Adviser to the Furling High Council and he was the **only** person to **ever** hold that title. He refused to be the High Councilor because he wanted us to grow on our own, but he was always there to guide us. He taught me… Widget how to use his biotics and took others under his wing for the same purposes. He was the great teacher, wisest of us all, and he had a following.

"Those who most closely had his ear were the leading expert in every field. There was Morokei, my… **his**," Widget corrected himself once more, forcefully saying the word and causing the skies to darken all the more in response to his change of mood, "mate. She was the one who created the FSRs and developed the theory of light matter being energy as a state of matter. She had the greatest mind when it came to power production. She could make a generator out of a paperclip and a piece of string," Widget said with a small chuckle, the sky brightening in response to his laughter, but only a little.

This was going to be a long day, Sam could already tell that much.

"Then there was Hevnoraak, the Mistress of the Oldest Form. In Furling society, there's something called… well, it's actually our version of your 'military engineering.' It's loosely defined as the art and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and communications. It's also regarded as the oldest form of engineering which is why her 'surname' was Mistress of the Oldest Form. She created the weapons, armor, vehicles, and tanks Furlings used in battle. Widget was actually considered the greatest structural engineer of his age. He designed a space station the size of a nation that could hold the population of a planet," Widget shook his head sadly and turned back to Sam. "I miss being Furling."

"You never stopped being a Furling," Sam countered.

"Look at me, Sam," Widget said, arms spread wide as the world dissolved around them and Sam looked upon the AI with organic eyes. _"You can see right through me,"_ he said, waving his hand through a terminal causing his avatar to shimmer to punctuate his point.

"Just ignore him," Sam ordered to the people around them that looked on in confusion. Sam leaned back into her chair again and closed her eyes. The beach reappeared around her, but this time she was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, a look of annoyance on her face.

"I miss being **alive**, Sam! You've never died so you wouldn't understand. Doctor Jackson might, but even he's never been through what I have," Widget gripped in a huff.

"You're being childish," Sam said sternly. "The Asgard had the most advanced cloning technology in three galaxies. The Lanteans had nannite bodies that were nearly indestructible. Hell, the Cylons have organic bodies that, apparently, are capable of reproducing with Humans! You've had access to **all** of that for **months**! If you wanted to have a physical body you should've made yourself one. You want to be organic again? Grow a pair!" Sam shouted at the AI.

Without another word, Sam severed her link to the ship's computers and returned to her body. She sat up out of her chair and looked at the holograms that surrounded the CIC to give them a view of space. "What's the status of the upgrades?" Sam asked.

"Roughly fifteen percent done which isn't bad for a month's worth of work," Colonel Kimberly Aguirre, Sam's Canadian navigational officer and defacto Executive Officer, replied.

Yes, between the upgrades to the slips, the creation of the _Achilles_-class, the production of fighters, and the repairs to _Atlantis_, the _Nex_ had gone unrepaired for six months. Considering that, as Sieon had told them, they needed high-gravity pressure forges to compress the layers of armor together to replace the missing hull pieces, it was understandable. They had to get a shipment of materials from New Caprica, refine it, send it to the Impolans, then wait for the Impolans to send the hyper-compressed hull plating back through. As such, the _Nex_'s repairs were only now coming to a close and the upgrades were just beginning.

"At this rate, we'll be done with the upgrades in… just under seven months of nonstop construction," Kimberly finished her report.

Sam sighed halfway between relieved and not happy. Seven months of work, with one month down and six months to go, would take the _Nex_ from a ten-kilometer behemoth of a ship to a fifty-kilometer caricature of a warship. Sure the ship was supposed to be a Super Dreadnought, but fifty-kilometers of war potential? The ship would be nearly impossible to move through hyperspace and Sam had run the numbers. It would take five of the _Nex_'s FTL drives to create a wormhole large enough to move a ship that massive instantaneously and if the drives didn't fire at **exactly** the same time, the ship would be torn apart by the formation of five separate wormholes moving the ship in five sections instead of as one whole.

Then there was hyperspace. It would take **fifteen** City Ship-grade stardrives to move that much ship through hyperspace on an **interplanetary** level. To get it to go intergalactic? They'd need nearly thirty stardrives drives, each measuring a full two-hundred meters long, all tied together. The upside was that if one failed to fire properly, they lost FTL speed instead of dying. The downside was the speed and power requirements. The _Nex_, originally, ran off of four of the FSRs. To get the remodeled ship powered to operational levels, they would have to pull the FSRs from the PDS and install them on the ship. It would take twenty of the protostars to give the ship the power it needed and that meant, even taking the twelve that were orbiting Earth and the four they had on the ship, they still didn't have enough.

If only they had the ZPM designs. Then they could install two FSRs for every kilometer of ship, instead of four, and use the ZPMs to make up the difference. Even then, the _Nex_ would be a bitch to power. For now, the plan was just to get the ship upgraded. They'd keep it confined to orbit as Earth's greatest defensive weapons platform. Sam sighed at the thought of being constrained and stuck in orbit. With the fleet expanding like it was, there wouldn't be many threats that could make it to Earth. This time next year, they'd be expanding Earth's territory and colonizing worlds, their enemies vanquished in the fires of combat.

Then Sam had an idea. "Widget…"

"_Ma'am?"_ the AI asked, his tone oddly professional considering the turmoil in his mind.

"What all has happened to the _Nex_ since we began the upgrades?"

"_So far all we've managed to do was repair the damage done during the Battle for Earth. This time tomorrow I'll begin stripping off the engines, armor, hull plating, weapons, and everything else not needed so I can begin extending the superstructure in preparation for the addition of the new sections."_

"In its upgraded state, will the _Nex_'s eezo core be able to effect its mass enough to make movement possible in anything but a unilateral direction?"

A pause while the answer was calculated, then, _"No."_

"Do we have enough eezo to make the core large enough to achieve any but unilateral movement?"

Another pause. _"No."_

"So we're effectively creating a gravity-driven, orbital weapons platform that will sit in orbit and do nothing more?"

A far shorter pause. _"Yes."_

"Stop the upgrades," Sam ordered.

"Ma'am?" Kimberly asked.

"Finish restoring the ship to fully operational status then stop the upgrades. I want the anti-proton thrusters and everything else reinstalled unless the ion propulsion engines are better in which case switch out the anti-proton thrusters. Get the ship working in optimal condition **without** the upgrade package. General O'Neill made that thinking we'd need an orbital shipyard/Homeworld Command/Stargate Command/super-command-center, but he's wrong. We have the City Factory which can produce City Ships, _Auroras_, and even the _O'Neills_ if we modify it. We have conversion slips being built across the planet for the Heavy Cruisers and the fighters are being produced without any issue using Earth's preexisting industry as well. There's no point to a superstructure capable of replacing Earth's industry when Earth's industry is perfectly capable of doing what's needed. This is my command and I have a better idea for its function and purpose."

"_Feel like filling us in?"_ Widget asked, a smile back on his holographic face. At least he wasn't as depressed now as he was earlier.

A depressed AI. _'Yup, still weird,'_ Sam thought to herself before launching into her explanation.

"Go ahead with the weapons upgrade package," Sam began. "Getting beam cannons and upgraded ion cannons will help a lot. Install two Grodins along the ship's primary axis with two SCICs so that the dark matter energy beam is in the center of the nose. Then we'll get the power systems reinforced with a few Mark II Neutrino Ion Generators and we'll see if we can get a fighter bay built into one of the Frigate bays already present…" Sam continued as she started altering a holographic image of the ship.

*_USS Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center) [two weeks later]*

"Attention!" the guard at the door called out to the room at large.

"At ease," Sam immediately said. This had already become normal for her which was a good thing… she hoped. Sam sat in her chair, leaned back, and brought up a holographic image of the ship for her to look over as it was pieced back together.

She was distracted by a familiar voice doing a very unfamiliar thing. Widget, who was depressed the last time she had a meaningful conversation with him, was singing as he walked through the doors to the CIC. She'd never heard him sing before… or seen him use a door, for that matter.

Judging by the clarity and pureness to his voice, Sam assumed she was in the computers. Under that assumption, she wrote off the AI's use of the door as him going through a firewall or something. Still, the headphones he was wearing and the fact he was singing was… strange.

"Tuesday night, crowded bar. Some guy lights a cheap cigar. Bartender yells at him, so he walks out and you walk in. Right through that cloud of smoke, catcalls, and dirty jokes. Scan the room a couple times. Find a seat right next to mine. Lonely eyes. Well it sure looks like you just might be looking for something. For something. Whoa. Look at me and I think you'll see those lonely eyes don't have to be alone tonight."

"Widget," Sam tried to get his attention, but the AI apparently couldn't hear her.

"They analyze your glass of wine, roll away a pickup line, now and then they check your phone, catch mine and let 'em go. From the little bit I've seen, they're the perfect shade of green. Next time they come my way, Heaven help me, make 'em stay. Lonely eyes. Well it sure looks like you just might be looking for something. For something. Whoa. Look at me and I think you'll see those lonely eyes don't have to be alone tonight."

"Widget!" Sam said again, but louder.

"Don't make me pay my tab, catch a cab, go home and kick myself to sleep tonight. Give me a sign. Just a smile. Baby, I'll be glad to lose myself deep inside those lonely eyes. Lonely eyes, sure looks like you just might be looking for something. For something. Whoa. Look at me and I think you'll see those lonely eyes they don't have to be alone tonight. Lonely eyes, you don't have to be alone tonight."

"WIDGET!" Sam shouted as she got out of the Control Chair and pulled the headphones from his ears.

"I was listening to that!" the AI complained as he turned to face her, an annoyed look on his face.

"We're supposed to be working on the new superstructure," Sam replied as she tried, and failed, to bring up an image of the aforementioned project by sending a mental command through the ship's computers. She tried again to the same effect then turned back to the AI. "Bring up the file."

"Okay, straight to business," Widget said as he walked over to one of the terminals lining the walls and brought up the requested hologram. "What are we focusing on today?" he asked as he sat in the chair before the terminal.

"Why didn't you just materialize it?" Sam asked in a confused tone. Widget never tried this hard to make analogies for what he was doing.

"Oh, you know…" Widget replied, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away as if ashamed. "I haven't really figured out how to do that yet."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

Before Widget could reply, the door to the CIC opened again and Kimberly walked in looking like she hadn't slept at all last night. "Good morning, ma'am," she said in greeting, a cup of coffee in one hand. She then turned to where Widget was still sitting at her terminal and blinked at him before simply sitting in his lap to access her station. She had only enough time to place her cup in the holder before she was on her feet shouting, "WHAT THE ACTUAL LIVING FUCK!?" at the top of her lungs.

"Calm down," Widget said with a placating gesture. "I can explain!"

"YOU MADE YOURSELF A BODY!" Sam exclaimed.

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" Widget replied excitedly with a big smile on his face. "This mouth," he said, pointing to his jaw. "Right here. It's **real**!"

And with that, Sam took one step forward, drew her arm back, and slammed her fist into the AI's jaw. It **hurt**! Punching the bastard **hurt**! His jaw was physical! And her hand **HURT**!

"_OW!"_ Widget's voice groaned, this time from the speakers as his avatar shimmered into existence a few feet away. _"What the in the name of Sithis was that for!?"_ he asked as his organic body twitched on the floor where Sam had cold-cocked him.

"You built a **body**!" Sam replied, pointing to the unconscious form in her CIC, the guards rushing into the room, weapons raised, looking for a target.

"_I __**grew**__ one, actually, and __you told me to__!"_ Widget countered, his avatar fading out as the organic… 'him' regained cognitive function.

"I did no such thing!" Sam shouted back.

With a groan of pain, Widget sat up from his place on the floor and glared at Sam. "You said, and I quote…" Widget countered while pointing to one side where a hologram of Sam promptly appeared.

"_You're being childish,"_ the recording of Sam said sternly. _"The Asgard had the most advanced cloning technology in three galaxies. The Lanteans had nannite bodies that were nearly indestructible. Hell, the Cylons have organic bodies that, apparently, are capable of reproducing with Humans! You've had access to __**all**__ of that for __**months**__! If you wanted to have a physical body you should've made yourself one. You want to be organic again? __Grow a pair__!"_

"So I grew a pair!" Widget continued as the hologram faded. "A pair of arms, a pair legs, a pair of hearts, a pair of lungs, a pair of…" the AI said, trailing off with a glance aimed directly down between his legs.

"Get me a line to the SGC," Sam ordered while rubbing her sore fingers and Kimberly looked at the man lying on the ground with his feet still propped up in her chair.

"Right…" she said before pushing his legs out of her way like they were contaminated with a deadly disease and opening the channel.

When the line connected, Sam said, "Sir, I'm going to need you to send a message to Sieon telling him there's a problem with Widget."

"_How bad is it?"_ Landry asked.

"Just have him bring you up, and get Jack too. This isn't going to be pretty," Sam replied before cutting the channel and turning back to the AI.

"Why is this a problem?" Widget asked in a pleading tone as he stood up.

"Just…" Sam began before throwing her hands up in frustration. "It just is!"

"That's not a good enough reason and we both know it!" Widget argued.

Thankfully it didn't take long for the three requested figures to appear with Rana in tow as well. When they did, Widget was standing next to the Control Chair Sam was sitting in trying to talk her into not having them come up. When they appeared, he instantly stopped talking. Apparently Sam wasn't the only one could tell the differences in his vocal tones when he was here versus when he was talking through the speakers.

"What's the problem?" Sieon asked.

"Well…" Sam began, looking at Widget who simply stared back without blinking. "Let me put it this way," Sam said before standing up and stomping down on Widget's toe as hard as she could.

With a pained look on his face and in his tones, Widget whizzed, "Why do you keep **hurting** me!?" while hopping on one foot to which Sieon slammed a palm into his forehead and the other two Generals balked. "I haven't had a body in a couple million years, Samantha! My pain threshold is **not** as impressive as it used to be!"

"What have you done?" Rana asked, her question directed at Sam.

"Me?" Sam countered. "Don't you mean **him**?!"

"He couldn't have done this without your permission," Sieon explained.

"He took it out of context!" Sam argued.

"Out of context?!" Widget asked indignantly as he stepped away from the woman who kept causing him bodily pain. As he did, the recording of Sam telling him to 'grow a pair' played again and Sieon shook his head. "See, even he agrees that this is your doing, not mine."

"No, this is still your doing," Sieon countered. "Your body, how does it work?" Sieon asked.

"It's a combination of things," Widget replied. "Mostly Cylon tech though. I installed a transmitter at the base of my skull linked to the _Nex_ so I can control the body and jump my mind out of it in the event it's lost. My own, personal Resurrection," Widget said with a beaming smile.

"**Mostly** Cylon?" Sieon pressed.

"I used Asgard-enhanced Furling cloning tech to grow it faster without an increased ageing rate," Widget said with a shrug of his massive shoulders. "Furling nannites pieced its skeletal structure together, and the organs I had to grow in a lab using medical records of the original with Asgard tech, so all of my organs are lab-grown medical replicas not something stolen from a hospital if that's what you're thinking. Bones turned out a bit more metallic than I would've liked, but certain sacrifices had to be made. In short, it's as close to my original body as I could get it."

"You never had 'an original body'," Sieon pointed out with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, well…" Widget replied. "You're the one who made me believe I did! You're the reason I think I'm someone I'm not!"

"And now you're some**thing** you're not," Sieon shot back, though there was no anger in his words. Just annoyance.

"I'm half organic," Widget countered, arms crossed over his massive chest. Was Sam going to get into the habit of describing everything on the AI's body as massive? "It's your fault I took this form instead of duplicating you."

"He can do that?" Jack asked, instantly alarmed.

"No," Rana replied with a shake of her head. "He took the form he did because it is the same form as his avatar, and that is based off of his personality matrix. He thinks he is Widget, so he took the form of the one he believes himself to be. You would have to reprogram him to believe him to be you before he could take on your form, General."

"It's just a body," Widget argued. "It's not like I cloned an army to use to conquer the galaxy!"

"Does this mean he can run the ship on his own?" Landry asked, speaking for the first time. When Sieon turned to him, he added, "You once said that you needed Furling DNA to operate the primary systems. He has that now. What's the threat?"

"Nonexistent," Sieon replied smoothly. "He has the DNA, but the ship still reads him as the AI. His DNA, no matter how authentic, is still restricted from accessing those systems by his own mind. There are some things he will never be able to change about himself, and the parts of him that prevent his controlling the ship in full have every failsafe imaginable in place, including one for this eventuality. Granted, when Rana and I programmed that failsafe we were worried about an AI hacking a Furling's brain and hijacking their body, but the effect on the computers is the same. He could steal the _Isai_, yes, but the _Nex_ remains beyond his ability to control without an organic crew."

"How much of that body… works?" Jack asked out of curiosity.

"All of it?" Widget replied with a raised eyebrow to question the question.

"So…" Jack trailed off pointing down. "**All** of it?"

"If I grew everything properly, then yes," Widget replied casually. "I did as Sam suggested and 'grew a pair.' A pair of eyes, a pair of nostrils, a pair of arms, a pair legs, a pair of hearts, a pair of lungs, a trio of stomachs, a brain…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Jack interrupted him, turning to Sieon. "Furlings have two hearts?"

"Of course," Rana replied with a confused look. "Do not Humans as well?"

"No… we only have one," Kimberly replied in a 'you're the weird ones, not us' tone.

"No wonder you're capable of dying of 'broken heart'," Rana said with an 'ah ha!' expression.

"You have **three stomachs**?" Sam asked Widget.

"We all do," Sieon replied. "It's part of what makes it to where we can live for so long. We have a lot of energy in our bodies and we're capable of producing three times the energy a Human is and three times as quickly to boot. We eat three times as much though."

"We're getting off topic," Landry pointed out.

"I wonder," Sieon mused before working the controls on the terminal behind him. When a display appeared that projected the amount of materials present on the ship, he frowned. "You took eezo from the drive core," Sieon observed.

"I did say it's as close to my original body as I could make it," Widget pointed out as his body was surrounded in the glow of a biotic aura.

"That was… unnecessary," Rana pointed out.

"I missed being me," Widget replied with a shrug. "To fix that, I recreated the original as closely as I could."

"That's understandable," Sieon agreed with a nod. "He is no more a threat to you now than he was before," Sieon assured Landry.

"And I have what? Your word on that?" Landry asked.

"Samantha, tell him to do something," Rana prompted.

"Uh…" Sam said uncertainty. "Sit?" she finally ordered and Widget obliged immediately, albeit with a death glare of annoyance directed at all present.

"You could order him to jump out of an airlock and he would be forced to do so without question or hesitation. We programmed the AIs for every eventuality, even the ones we never thought would arise," Sieon said, eyeing the AI-made-flesh skeptically. "It appears our paranoia was well founded in fact."

"Paranoia, by definition, is entirely in your head," Widget countered in a self-aggrandizing way, arms crossed over his chest as he sat on the floor waiting for someone to say he could get up.

"This is a problem that is not truly a problem," Rana said. "Once you are no longer comfortable with his presence, simply order him to kill himself in whatever fashion you so choose and your problem disappears. However, you may find that it's worth having him around."

"How so?" Landry asked.

"He's a Furling," Sieon replied verbally before switching means of communicating. _'In every sense of the word, am I correct?'_

'_You are,'_ Widget replied in kind.

"Great," Jack mumbled. "Another immortal, telepathic alien with space-powers."

"So I can keep it?" Widget asked, his eyes full of the same hope a child has when they bring home a stray dog.

"For now," Sam replied, and, like a puppy given a home, the AI smiled a huge grin.

'_This is going to take __**a lot**__ to get used to,'_ Sam thought to herself with a shake of her head. "What's the range on this body of yours?" she asked.

"Whatever distance the _Nex_'s FTLC has," Widget replied.

"Keep it on a leash," Landry ordered gruffly.

"I'll try," Sam replied in an annoyed tone as the others left.

"I told you involving them wasn't necessary," Widget said in a tone full of pride.

"Stop talking," Sam ordered and Widget glared at her in annoyance as he was forced to comply.

'_This was nowhere near as fun as I thought it'd be,'_ Widget thought to himself.

**Eight Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>When Widget shimmered into existence in the CIC, Sam looked up from her work with an eyebrow raised in question. <em>"As you so often do, I forgot that organic bodies have to sleep. As such, my body's in bed right now,"<em> Widget replied with a shrug of his holographic shoulders.

"You, who keeps stunning me for being up past my bedtime, **forgot to sleep**?" Sam asked in a tone of shock and mirth.

"_I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"_ Widget asked rhetorically.

"Nope," Sam replied with a shit-eating grin.

"_What's on the agenda for today?"_ he asked in a more serious tone.

"Same as every day," Sam replied before returning to her work.

"_And what's the news from Earth?"_

"They've finally started agreeing on stuff," Kimberly replied as she turned to face the AI.

"_Like what?"_

"The IOA has officially been replaced by the UEG, or United Earth Governments, and Homeworld Command has been renamed the UNSC, or United Nations Space Command. Those names were chosen by the people operating within them, but the civilians have also agreed on something. The Global Anthem of the United Earth Governments has officially been chosen."

"Really?" Sam asked. "What song did they pick?"

"Dirt by Florida Georgia Line," Kimberly replied.

"_I love that song!"_ Widget exclaimed.

"It sounds familiar…" Sam mused.

"Widget was singing it two days ago. Nonstop. All day. I shot him in the back to shut him up," Kimberly explained in far too casual a tone for having just admitted to shooting someone to make them stop singing.

Sam looked to the AI who shrugged in reply. _"You know it's a good song when even the aliens think it's both catchy and meaningful. All about that dirt you grew up on, the dirt you call your own, because what is Earth if not a giant ball of __**dirt**__?!"_

"A giant ball of water," Sam answered the rhetorical question.

"Or a giant ball of gas," Kimberly added.

"Good point," Sam agreed with a nod and a baiting smile.

"_I hate you both so much right now,"_ Widget said irritably before disappearing.

* * *

><p>***Local Cluster (Sol System)***<p>

**Earth (Surface)**

*United Nations Space Command Headquarters (Command and Control Center)*

"I can't believe it's finally done," Jack said as he looked out of the window to where the form of Earth's newest warship sat glistening under the Artic sun.

"The first refit _Aurora_," Sam said in a tone of admiration from beside him. "Are we keeping it as the _Aurora_-class or will it be the _Gaia_-class?" she asked as the duo looked down on the sleek form of the _Gaia_ in her fully repaired and heavily upgraded state.

"A tribute to the Ancients, or a new class for the Tau'ri?" Jack mused.

"A tribute to the Ancients," both he and she said at the same time.

"How are things in orbit?" Jack asked with a small chuckle.

"Better now that my ship isn't being turned into a technological impossibility," Sam replied with a roll of her eyes. "That, and I find Widget's constant screw ups to be entertaining."

"How so?"

"He keeps forgetting things like sleep and food, and his depth perception is crap. He keeps stubbing his toes on stuff. A fifty-million year old alien that has no sense of depth. It's worthy of being on America's Funnies Home-Videos."

"When do we get to see the tapes?" Jack asked with a smile.

"Widget keeps deleting them," Sam replied with an amused shake of her head. "Have we decided on a flagship?"

"I would say the _Nex_ because she's…"

"Widget's not a girl," Sam interrupted. "The _Nex_ is a 'he' not a 'she'."

"Does that mean that the other ships have to be 'he' now too? Cause that's just annoying as hell and confusing to boot."

Sam thought about that for a second then shook her head. "As you were saying, sir."

"I would say the _Nex_ because she's a one-of-a-kind ship, but that would make you the fleet leader."

"Not a title I look forward to having."

"I thought not, but you do have to stay in command of the ship until we can develop a gene therapy for the FTA gene since Sieon won't give us anymore of what he made."

"I'm sure he has his reasons."

"I suppose," Jack mused. "Instead, we're going to build our own. I had the egg-heads at Area 51 draw up a design based on the _O'Neill_-class. An enlarged variant armed to the teeth and modified to fit yours truly," Jack added with a devilish smile.

"I hope I never have to get into a fight with something that you had a hand in designing," Sam answered with a look of honest horror on her face.

"I wonder what the Tok'ra are up to these days," Jack pondered.

"From what I understand, they're living in Colorado and serving as a scouting and sabotage force for the SGC, but I haven't had the time to speak to Landry in… four weeks," Sam replied sadly. "I actually miss going off-world."

"I did too when they promoted me. Almost quit."

Below them, the _Gaia_ fired her engines and began to lift off of the slip that it had been upgraded in. This one, unlike the slips popping up all around the globe, was open to the elements which were held back by the shadow-casting monster above them, but that wasn't up for discussion yet.

Because of the importance of the site, the availability of it, how readily available to receive them it was, and the fact that it was in neutral territory, the whole of the newly dubbed United Nations Space Command had been moved into the Ancient City Factory. The multinational command center for the rapidly expanding global fleet had been modified and set up in a matter of two months and now rested in the largest of the buildings that had popped up out of the ice when _Atlantis_ returned home. The geothermal plant that powered the site was also given a microwave emitter and was adding its power to the PDS. The remaining three geothermal plants needed to complete the sextuplet of generators were being constructed and were scheduled to be finished by the end of the year that was rapidly coming to a close.

"I can't believe it's been eight months since the world almost ended," Jack said, his tone reflective.

"I can't believe Disclosure wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back," Sam added in a similar tone.

"I can't believe Earth is finally uniting," Daniel said as he walked up behind them. "Have you heard the news? All but ten countries have officially joined the UEG, and the ones that haven't joined are the small countries that don't hold much weight behind their complaints. We're roughly three months away from a fully united planet."

"United by treaty, yes, but we're a long way away from being united as a people," Jack countered with a sigh.

"Even then, it only took eight months to get this far. The _Daedalus_ and _Atlantis_ have been back in Pegasus for three months and things have been pretty quiet. I think the Wraith are taking the threat the _Daedalus_ poses seriously. Last thing I heard from Weir, the Wraith had returned to Lantea looking for the city in force. All they found was a planet covered in oceans," Daniel said with a smile.

"How are things going with your own side-project?" Sam asked.

"The Asgard Memorial Museum is officially open to the public. What about you?"

"The _Nex_'s upgrades are nearly finished."

"I thought that thing would be visible from the surface by now."

"No, Sam decided to pull rank and changed the designs," Jack said with a small smile lighting up his face. "We're not getting a monster of a 'ship' in orbit that can only sit there. Instead, we're getting an upgraded version of what was already present. We are, however, drawing up plans for a new structure to replace the fact that the _Nex_ **won't** be the all-inclusive superstructure we wanted it to be. We're just having a bit of trouble deciding on how to do it."

"A pure and simple space station would be the best way of getting it done. Something big and powerful loaded up with everything you want without the delusional hope of it being a **mobile** base of operations. That's what the City Ships are for," Sam interjected.

"And no small number of Neutrino Ion Generators to power it," Daniel added.

"Actually, we finally tracked down the ZPM designs," Sam said with a smirk on her face.

"Really? Where were they?" Daniel asked in a surprised tone to which Jack groaned in dismay.

"About fourteen stories directly below the Mess Hall," Sam replied with a shit-eating grin on her face.

"They were **here**?!" Daniel almost shouted.

"The Ancients took them from _Atlantis_ to the place where _Atlantis_ was built. We finally got around to uploading Pac into the computers for the UNSC HQ, and, when we did, he found the designs in about half an hour of sorting out the database that's present here," Sam explained.

"So, you're telling me that the designs for the ZPMs…" Daniel began.

"Have been on Earth for the past ten-thousand years, yes," Jack finished with a shake of his head. "You have no idea how stupid I felt after they told me that."

"It was only an hour ago so he's still a little down about it," Sam added, her smile still broad.

"So giving the _Gaia_ the _Cursor_'s ZPM to replace the one they lost during the battle wasn't even necessary?" Daniel asked.

"I wouldn't say that," Jack replied as he turned to look out the window where the ship in question was still hovering in place going over a series of pre-space flight checks. You don't want a ship with a leaky hull flying into space, after all. "Even with the technology we have available to us, it'll take a week to produce each ZPM."

"A week for **one**?" Daniel stressed.

"Each **batch** of ZPMs," Sam corrected. "The production facilities here, apparently, were one of the Ancients' most extensive. They used this site to make the ZPMs, the City Ships, the _Auroras_, and the drones. We now have access to everything we need to make anything and everything the Ancients have ever created."

"I can see that," Daniel said as he looked up past where the _Gaia_ was preparing to make for orbit.

Directly above their heads blocking out the bulk of the limited sunlight at the planet's pole this time of year and doing a lot to stop the powerful winds that prevailed here, the large, snowflake shape of a City Ship's base was rapidly taking shape in sustained waves of light. Two months after _Atlantis_ left and a swarm of Ancient construction drones upgraded with Asgard energy-to-matter matter converters being fed power by the geothermal plant beneath them had already completed the base of a City Ship. This one, however, wouldn't be a copy of _Atlantis_. Instead, the outer piers would be modified, and, in place of the towers, there would be mining and refining equipment. Earth's first city-sized mobile mining platform would be fully operational and sent to New Caprica to speed up the process of gathering their much needed Trinium and Naquadah in a matter of months. In fact, they predicted the successful launch of the ship by the end of next month.

"What are we calling her?" Daniel asked.

"No clue," Jack replied.

"We haven't really thought that far ahead yet. We're more concerned with mining the resources of New Caprica than we are with naming the ship we're sending to get it done," Sam added.

"Guys, this is the first **City Ship** to be **built** _**by**_ Earth!" Daniel exclaimed. "This thing deserves the fanfare of the masses as it launches. We can't just let his momentous occasion slip by without a televised launch. We're building a flying city!" Daniel stressed again when Sam and Jack looked unimpressed by his idea. "That warrants celebration!"

**Nine Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***<p>

**P4X-650 (Orbit)**

*Alpha Site (Research and Development Labs)*

"You've been working on the designs for nine months!" Taylor stressed.

"And they're extremely complex," Felger calmly replied. "Look, it's not as simple as duplicating Ptah's original weapons. These things were designed to be used by Jaffa, and they're stronger than Humans are because of what they are. We had to alter the designs to be conceivably used by Humans. In order to pull that off, we had to take out certain parts, and replace them with other parts. A long, techy explanation made short and understandable, we've got a working design that's past the prototype stage and into the development stage… it just has a drawback."

"How serious a drawback?" Taylor asked.

"Heat management," Felger replied. "The system Ptah was using was complicated, and it worked, but it was too bulky to fit into the new design. We had to make a work-around based off of the heat management systems of the weapons the Impolans gave us."

"So we'll have plasma weapons that overheat like our railguns?" Taylor asked. "That's not half-bad. At least they're used to watching their magazine capacity and heat-sinks already. From what I understand, a liquid Naquadah power core can last for decades."

"Yes, it can, but no…" Felger said as he held up the rifle that, remarkably enough, looked like just that; a standard assault rifle. "The liquid Naquadah core is located here," Felger said, pointing out the area that a spent shell would normally be ejected from. "Our answer to the problem of overheating is located here," he continued while pointing at the magazine slotted in the weapon. "Because our soldiers have been drilled for **years** on how to reload a gun with a clip, we just modified our solution to fit your preexisting battle reflexes. The magazine is actually what we're calling a 'thermal clip.' The heat generated within the casing that builds up during firing is channeled into his," Felger explained as he pulled a radiator-looking contraption out of the magazine slot. "Like an actual magazine, each one holds enough heat for roughly twenty-five to thirty shots to be fired before the thermal clip is 'spent.' Then, like a real magazine, you just clip it back to your belt and replace it with a fresh one. Once the thermal clip is done venting all that heat, a process that can be sped up by pouring water onto it, it's good to go again as if it had never been used."

"So reloading is effectively unchanged?" Taylor asked, more than a little impressed.

"By design," Felger assured him with a bright smile. "It's drilled into your head already, so why change it?"

"May I?" Taylor asked.

"Be my guest," Felger replied while handing off the plasma rifle and two thermal clips. "The sights are as close to the original iron sights of the old gunpowder weapons as we could get them given the nature of the weapon and the need for change that called for. Basically it's the same concept, but there's a built-in holographic aiming sight that'll help soldiers aim until they're used to the nature of plasma rounds. They don't drop like a regular bullet," Felger added when Taylor looked confused.

"Nice," Taylor said with a nod. "And the sights? Why not just use the existing systems in our armor?"

"Since the Naquadah core is already there, we didn't see the point in relying solely on your helmet's HUD. There's always the possibility that you'll lose it in battle, after all."

Sighting down the iron sights first and activating the holo-sights only once he was sure the iron sights were properly zeroed-in, Taylor squeezed the trigger and fired a burst of shots into the dummy target down range. He switched targets and fired again, amazed at the brilliance of the plasma rounds. When his thermal clip was full to capacity, a small holographic panel popped out of the holo-sights warning him to change clips. With a motion so fluid it was like reloading his old M-16, Taylor slotted the new magazine and fired at the last three targets.

"The plasma flashing in my eyes makes it hard to keep a steady bead. On a stationary target it's just a matter of holding the barrel still, but on a moving target it'll be a problem," Taylor said as he handed the scientist the weapon back.

Felger, to his credit, immediately opened his tac-pad and made a note of the flash being an issue. "Your helmet's visor will polarize automatically, and I've seen Carter's plans to put that same HUD into a pair of ballistic sunglasses so that won't be a problem with proper eye cover, but if you lose your helmet and your glasses you'd be screwed," Felger said with a nod. Then he looked up to where Taylor was just watching him and added, "I'll see if we can get the HUD on the rifle to polarize enough to reduce the flash to manageable levels. Other than that, these weapons are ready to go."

"What about shotguns?" Taylor asked.

"We've got those too," Felger replied with an evil grin. He reached into the weapons closet behind him and pulled out the weapon in question. He set it down then turned again to remove a pistol followed by a sniper rifle that was in two pieces. "We've got 'em **all**!" he reiterated. "Whatever your preference, whatever your specialization, you pick your poison and go. The only thing we haven't gotten working yet are the heavy weapon variants. They're still too heavy to carry even with strength enhancing servomotors in your armor."

"Felger," Taylor said with an approving nod. "I like the way you think!"

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Third Gas Giant from the Star (Lunar Orbit)**

*Zeta Site (Shipyards)*

The _Shadow of Opportunity_ gleamed in the lights of the shipyards. The sleek curves of the ship were nearly identical to those of the smaller ships of her class. As such, the _Shadow of Opportunity_ was simply dubbed the SR-2. She was seven times longer than her sister ships, putting her two-dozen meter longer than the _Daedalus_-class, and served the same purpose as the _Savage Annihilation_ before its destruction. She was a Carrier-sized vessel with more weapons and shields than the smaller ships combined. Unlike the _Savage Annihilation_, however, the _Shadow of Opportunity_ was designed from the ground up with the Neutrino Ion Generators in the original design along with the coaxial ion cannon and her particle beams. All in all, she was a very lethal beauty made all the more deadly by the Furling engineers who had supped her up.

Standing before the ship, Oliver spoke to the assembled men and women of the Zeta Initiative. "Earth has made a mistake," Oliver said. "The Cylons were let loose on the galaxy at large, and that is on our heads. The Replicators proved the effectiveness of a robotic species to expand and adapt at disturbing rates. The Cylons cannot be allowed to reach the threat level the Replicators once posed. We have to stop them before they become too strong, but to do so, we have to learn their strengths and weaknesses. We'll need to scout their forces starting in the Cyrannus Sector and working our way along the route the Colonials took to reach New Caprica. We have to learn everything we can about them. The Cylons are a threat to everyone, and we're going to stop them before that threat becomes great enough to reach Earth, but we cannot leave the Lucian Alliance unchecked.

"Earth has taken a new interest in Ba'al which leaves him in the hands of those back home. It is up to us, once again, to fight a war in the shadows that assures the success of the wars Earth fights in the light. We'll keep the Lucian Alliance cowering on their worlds while launching raids against their infrastructure. At the same time, we'll split our forces and scout out the Cylon forces. As most of you know, this is a task that will have to take place entirely on the move. For those of you who don't know, this asteroid is not a naturally occurring celestial body.

"This entire asteroid in which we built our second home was constructed by the Furlings to hide the _Isai_, but the _Isai_ is leaving. When its engines fire, this asteroid will crumble around it. We will evacuate the base beforehand, taking everything of value with us, and we will continue to perform the tasks assigned to us in our new home. The _Shadow of Opportunity_ will become our new mobile bass of operations, and has been designed to perform that task with as much comfort as we could manage. The Furlings, in return for taking our home from us, have helped us make the _Shadow of Opportunity_ a livable place. However, I know that many of you are getting homesick. I'm offering you this one chance to leave.

"We'll dial the Gate in one hour, and anyone wanting to go back to Earth will be allowed to do so after stopping off at the Beta Site for debriefing. We've all been away from home for nearly four years now. Many of us did this for the money. Others did it for the pride of service. Others still weren't really given a choice," Oliver continued, his words earning him a soft round of chuckles from the assembled men and women. They all knew who he was and what he used to be. "If you want to go home, none of us will hold it against you. General Landry has already developed your cover story. To the world at large, you're a member of an off-world mine returning home as either a guardsmen being cycled out for leave, or a miner leaving for the same reason. You'll all be welcomed back as heroes, but not for the deeds you've done. The choice is yours to make. I won't force anyone to stay that doesn't want to. At this point, I need only the people who are devoted to our reason for being out here. Without that devotion, our operation will fail. You're all needed and you're all wanted to stay, but you're all welcome to leave should you so choose."

"Would you stop repeating yourself like anyone's going to give in?" Tommy asked with a huff of annoyance. "We're all staying."

A chorus of affirmatives came from the crowd of civilian scientists, miners, technicians, engineers, and medical personnel, the soldiers giving their own affirmations.

"Then pack your bags," Oliver said. "We'll be leaving the Zeta Site behind us for good in two hours. Take everything you need and get it loaded into the ship. Deck One is the living quarters, Deck Two is the CIC, mobile labs, and FTLC station. Deck Three is where you'll find my 'office,' the infirmary, and the mess hall. And Decks Four and Five are the SR-1 bays. The mobile mining and refinery equipment is also on Deck Five. Feel free to look around. We've got the AI installed on the ship and she'll tell you anything you need to know. Quarters have already been assigned so just ask her where you're bunking down. Remember people, you get one standard footlocker for storage. Send the rest of it back home to your families. Let's get moving!"

As the two-hundred assembled members of the Zeta Initiative broke off to gather what they pleased, Gabi, Tommy, and Kimi all walked up to Oliver. "We're going to be living in a ship?" Tommy asked in an annoyed tone.

"I said you could go home, Tommy. You're the one who decided to say everyone was staying," Oliver replied.

"And how horrible is this going to be?" Kimi asked.

"No worse than the living quarters on the _Odyssey_. We're actually running with a smaller crew than the _Odyssey_ did and the _Shadow of Opportunity_ is **slightly** larger," Gabi explained.

"By how much?"

"Twenty-five meters," Gabi said with a smirk. "The biggest difference, aside from the obvious," Gabi continued as she looked back to the almost avian looking ship, "is that we installed all of the mining equipment in the ship as well. We can keep mining and refining on the move to conduct repairs since we don't have the luxury of having energy-to-matter converters to do all the work for us. Sieon's agreed to let us keep the Furling mining drones we've been using for the past four years to supplement our numbers."

"Sounds like the next year is going be so much fun!" Kimi said sarcastically.

"We're that close to being done?" Tommy asked, realization dawning on his face.

"Yup," Oliver said with a nod. "We've been running shadow operations across the galaxy with the occasional trip to Pegasus for just under four years now. Our tour of duty ends in another year."

"Unless we get rid of all of Earth's enemies first," Gabi pointed out. "We do that, and we get to go home earlier."

"Something tells me the Cylons aren't going to cooperate with that sentiment," Tommy groaned.

**Ten Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>***Local Cluster (Sol System)***<p>

**Earth (Surface)**

*_UNSC Hephaestus_ (Control Room)*

"Preparations are complete, sir. We're ready for take-off," the navigational officer reported.

"Fire the engines and bring us to a stable hover," the Colonel ordered.

"Powering engines," the officer reported as the ship's reactors rose to full output for the second time since their construction, the first time having been a test burn of the output capacity. The rumble in the deck only lasted a second before the dampeners kicked in and everything stabilized. "Primed and ready."

"Power output stable."

"Firing."

The heave against gravity was smoother than the Colonel expected. Still shaky, but not as bad as he'd been accustomed to during his time aboard NASA's old rocket-driven shuttles.

"Thrust ratio stabilizing."

"Releasing docking clamps."

There was a thud as the arms released the city and left it hovering in the air.

"Altitude holding steady. We're a kilometer over UNSC Headquarters. Altitude variance… just under six meters."

"Systems status!" the Colonel ordered to the room at large.

"Shields are coming online now," one officer reported.

"Power output from the Standards is at peak. Output from the Mark IIs at sixty percent. ZPMs unused."

"Weapons read in the green."

"Neural interface is stable."

"Stardrive is powering up now."

"Atmosphere in the shield is cold, but breathable. All external doors are secured."

"_We're good to go, Colonel,"_ the technicians reported in sequence, the last report coming from the AI 'standing' next to the terminal that houses her hard drive.

"Course?" the Colonel asked.

"Plotted and input. ETA to New Caprica is just under two hours at half speed," the helmsman replied.

"Take us out, nice and slow. Make sure the cameras can follow us," the Colonel ordered.

*United Nations Space Command Headquarters (Command and Control Center)*

Lieutenant-General Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill sighed to himself. The woman in the room with him turned a skeptical look towards him and the General shook his head. "I hated paperwork when I had to write 'From the desk of the Office of Homeworld Security.' No it's 'From the desk of the Office of the United Nations Space Command Headquarters'," Jack explained with another sigh.

"You're missing the show," Brigadier-General Samantha Carter said as she pointed out the window at the City Ship that was pulling out of Earth's gravity well. As he had promised, Daniel had gathered the media of the UEG, namely the Global Broadcasting Network, and about a thousand 'honorary guests' to see the city off.

"Since when is Daniel one for theatrics?" Jack asked.

"I think Vala's rubbing off on him," Sam replied.

"In which sense?" Jack inquired with a devilish smirk.

"Probably both," Sam answered smoothly, a look on her face that said, 'I don't want to think about it.'

"I knew those two would end up together. Didn't think it would take this long to happen though," Jack mused.

"Really? Because I thought Daniel would just keep rebuffing her," Sam countered.

"Well, I guess if you're persistent enough people just… give-in," Jack said with a distant look to his eyes that wasn't focused on the ship rising into the clouds at a slow enough pace that it could be easily filmed for those at home.

"How's life treating you as the Director of the United Nations Space Command?" Sam asked grandiosely.

"About as well as being the designated leader of Earth's Space Forces is treating you," Jack replied.

"When's the next ship set to leave?"

"The next _Aurora_-class will be in orbit in two more months, the next _O'Neill_-class three weeks from today, and another _O'Neill_ will be in orbit two days after the next _Aurora_. Other than that, I hear the Germans are close to getting their first _Achilles_ fully crewed. Before they do, Mitchell's new ship will go up."

"Finally gave him something to do?"

"He'll be the Commanding Officer of the HC-306 _Achilles_-class Heavy Cruiser, the _UNSC Achilles_."

"So we finally named a class-leader for the _Achilles_-class?" Sam asked sarcastically.

"Took us long enough," Jack agreed.

"So we'll have two _Aurora_-class and three _O'Neill_-class… you do realize that gives us five Dreadnoughts, right? We only have…" Sam counted the ship off on her fingers. "The _Daedalus_, _Odyssey_, _Apollo_, _Achilles_, _Emerick_, _Chekov_, _Cadhla_, and _Giovannetta_, and, of those, only the _Daedalus_, _Odyssey_, _Apollo_, and _Chekov_ are completed. Even then, the _Chekov_ doesn't have a crew so we still only have three Heavy Cruisers. I might also add," Sam pressed through Jack's interruption, "that the five Dreadnoughts you're launching are all **fully** crewed. What did you do? Pull everyone from the SGC that had the experience needed and keep them for yourself?"

"Obviously," Jack replied with a huff. "Don't get me wrong. I took-in untrained personnel so they could be trained on the working ships then sent off to train the other countries on how to use the systems, but getting the Dreadnoughts crewed…"

"Makes no sense," Sam interrupted him. "What are you going to do if three Ha'tak attack one of the planets in the Protected Planets Treaty? Send an _O'Neill_ to crush them? Or an _Aurora_? It's a gross misallocation of resources. We need to crew the Heavy Cruisers before we crew the Dreadnoughts, or," Sam pushed through another attempt to interrupt her, "reduce the crew of the _Auroras_ to minimal because one person can fly the ship on their own. Take the extra people away from the Dreadnoughts, use them to train the global recruiting effort, then put them back where you wanted them all along once they're not needed in more pressing roles."

Jack sighed again and shook his head. Above them, the _Hephaestus_ passed through the PDS and jumped into hyperspace. The unfinished hulls in slips across the planet would be completed rather quickly now that they had the first, fully operational, interplanetary mining and refining facility being sent to their richest mine. The more economically well-off countries in the UEG, and, by extension, the UNSC, had been given the designs for the _Achilles_-class. The not as economically powerful member-countries had been given the designs for the Post-Fifth Race _Daedalus_-class. The countries that couldn't produce those were, instead, given only the designs for the hulls of the _Daedalus_-class.

Sure there were slips across the globe full of ship hulls, but not all of them were _Achilles_-class, and not all of the _Daedalus_-class were able to be used as more than a force multiplier. To level that playing field, those economically deprived countries would produce the hulls and the crews, and other countries would produce the weapons. In all, they had five Dreadnoughts rolling off the line, five more _Achilles_-class Heavy Cruisers to go with the three already built, six Post-Fifth Race _Daedalus_-class Battlecruisers, and another four Pre-Fifth Race _Daedalus_-class hulls that would be upgraded after their launch.

The only ship not being built on Earth was still the _Ares_-class Invasion Carrier. The upgrades to the Alpha Site's own shipyards had seen another slip added to the subterranean complex and both slips taken to the standards of the slips on Earth. Since then, the _Ares_ had been brought up to new standards, its hangars had been stuffed, and its bunks had even been filled. The full military capacity of the Invasion Carrier was finally realized, and another hull was being built next to it while the enlarged multinational crew learned to get along. The new hull was currently unnamed and progress on it was slow since they were building the whole thing from pure energy. People were more invested in getting warships in orbit than they were with getting boots on alien soil. Jack couldn't blame them, but, because it was viewed as necessary now that Caldwell had declared open war on the Wraith as a whole, the next Invasion Carrier to be completed was supposed to reinforce Pegasus with a force capable of fighting the Wraith with a superiorly trained army.

"You're right," he admitted begrudgedly. "I'll have to fill out more paperwork to get them transferred now. How are your projects coming along?"

"The _Nex_ was finished a while ago," Sam replied with a sigh of relief. "The global power grid and surface-to-orbit ion cannon network, on the other hand, will both be brought online next month."

"That took you longer than I expected it to," Jack noted as he sat at his desk and started the paperwork to get people moved around.

"A couple of the power companies hired mercenaries to sabotage the towers we were building. We had to deploy armed soldiers to keep them from trying anything else stupid after they bombed one of the Tesla coil-style towers. After we sent a Vulture to hover over the company's main headquarters, they backed off and denied all knowledge of the event. Amazing what a couple tons worth of alien-fighting war machine can do when simply hovering over a building, isn't it?"

"Let's hope that doesn't come back to bit us in the ass," Jack mumbled.

"It won't," Sam assured him. "A Vulture hovering over a building isn't a threat, it's a form of protection. That, and the only way that General Electric can say we were threatening them is if they admit to bombing a military instillation, at which point they become enemies of the state, wanted terrorist, and the Vulture's presence becomes justified."

"And the STO network?" Jack asked with a shake of his head. "I expected that to be done months ago!"

"That was delayed by people saying they didn't want weapons installed in their neighborhoods because they felt it would make them a target in the event of another invasion force attacking Earth. We explained to them that being on Earth made them a target and that the cannons offered more protection than a ship did in terms of watching over that city, specifically, and they, slowly, started to see our logic."

"Sounds like politics," Jack said in a tone of disgust.

"The UEG is actually doing more good for us than the IOA ever did," Sam countered with an approving nod. "They worked out the contracts with the power companies and even handled the part where we pay for people to go to school after we put them out of business. The CEO of one company actually tried to apply for the scholarship program. He kept saying he was losing his company and deserved to be compensated. From what I understand, Woolsey told him that his company had made more money in the last ten years of operation than we'd ever spent on the fleet. Apparently the man was horrible with money and managed to spend all that he ever earned. He's effectively broke, but poor money handling skills don't qualify you for the scholarship program."

"You know, there was a time when I wanted to kill that man. Then he changed and I started to like him," Jack mused.

"He **has** done a lot for us," Sam agreed. "He got Hayes to fire Kennedy, saved Weir's job after the Battle of the Void, and has helped us keep the SGC running over the years. Granted he started out as an ass, but once he realized what Kennedy was, he started helping." When the two fell into a comfortable silence, each reflecting on different events in their crazy lives made crazier by Disclosure, Sam asked, "What's the news from Pegasus these days?"

Jack's head dropped at that. "Open war with the Wraith. Enough said."

**Eleven Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>Sam stood outside of the club and rubbed the bridge of her nose. <em>'You just <em>_**had**__ to come here, didn't you?'_ she asked in the privacy of her mind. With a deep sigh, she walked past the line of people waiting to get in, and approached the bouncer directly much to the annoyance of those behind her. As she did, she pulled her ID from her wallet.

"And what brings you here this fine evening, Miss…" the bouncer asked before he realized which ID she was holding out. "Ma'am," he said in a tone that was no longer one of open lust.

"I'm here to find someone," Sam replied as she put her ID back in her pocket.

"Nothing troublesome I assume?" the bouncer asked, all business now.

"If it was, I'd have a gun and an armed escort," Sam assured him before sidestepping the bouncer and walking through the door.

Not even a full dozen steps past the door, it began. "Hey, Honey, you looking for some company tonight?"

"My company is waiting for me inside," Sam replied kindly as her eyes swept over the crowd.

The good thing about Widget is that he is very large and that attracts attention. The bad thing about Widget is that he is very large and that attracts attention. Every set of eyes seemed to be constantly glancing in the same direction, so Sam followed those brief glances and there he was. Leaving her suitor behind, the other woman's eyes following after her, Sam moved through the crowd and approached the bar where the well-built piece of lab-grown flesh was sitting on a barstool drinking something she could smell from across the room (figuratively speaking of course). And as wrong as it was to think of him as such, Sam had a very serious desire to see a picture of the man the AI was made to model. If Widget really was an accurate representation of Widget, as confusing a thought as that is, then the real thing must've been a sight to behold.

Even with his back to her, Widget would know she was there before she reached the point where shouting would get his attention over the noise of the club, so when he turned to her, drink in hand and a smile on his face like a kid in a candy store, Sam wasn't surprised that he knew she was there… nor was she surprised that he was being hit on.

She got close enough to hear the tail end of the burly man that was trying to get into Widget's pants. In fact, she had just gotten her butt planted on the stool beside him when it happened. The man, a big black guy who was, admittedly, very attractive, leaned in a little closer and said, "You know what the best part about it, boy? It's not just milk that comes in quarts. So do I."

Sam, taken off-guard by the man's words, turned to look at Widget who turned to look at her. Blue eyes met green (the green brightening to a cat-like glow as a new emotion ran through the alien), then both of them started laughing hysterically. Widget was doubled over, head on the bar, chest heaving and Sam was right beside him half fallen off of her stool, leaning on Widget to keep herself from hitting the floor, tears rolling out of her eyes. By the time she finally managed to stop laughing, she was practically sitting in Widget's lap. That was an excepted development.

Sliding back onto her stool, Sam said, "You can't just up and leave without telling me first. I'm responsible for you, remember?"

"You simply **must** try this!" Widget happily countered as he slid a glass to her.

"What is it?" Sam asked curiously with a sigh of frustrated defeat.

"They call it an Irish Car Bomb, but it doesn't explode," Widget replied excitedly.

"Are you drunk?" Sam asked in a more serious tone.

Widget laughed at her question, a laugh that asked, 'did you seriously just me that?' "There isn't enough Human alcohol on Earth to get me drunk, Sam," Widget said. "I'm a biotic and I have three stomachs! Do you know how active that makes my metabolism?"

"Considering that food consumption on the _Nex_ went up by **twenty percent** when you got a body, I'd say I have a fairly good idea," Sam replied.

"Well," Widget said with a shrug, "let's see you go millions of years without eating then be introduced to a whole world of new foods!"

"I'll take your word for it," Sam nearly-shouted over the music before taking a drink of the Irish Car Bomb. It hit. Hard. With a shiver not born of cold, Sam asked, "Why are you here?"

"That's the great question, isn't?" Widget replied with another laugh. "According to your own scientists, the answer to life, the universe, and everything is forty-two. According to Furling scientists, the answer to that same question is that we are made to live for the amusement of the Gods. Cultural divides are exciting!"

"No, Widget, why are you **here**?" Sam stressed. "This is a gay bar. You know… it's where people go to hook up with people of the same-sex."

"Yes, Sam, I know what a homosexual is. Believe it or not, Furlings had them too. In fact, I think there's still a couple of couples of them living… wherever the hell it is Sieon and Rana ran off to," Widget replied with a wave of his hand that indicated no particular direction. "Although, I must admit. It did take me a while to figure out that this was a homosexual **specific** bar. Furlings never bothered with the whole 'separation of the sexes or the sexual orientations' things."

"There are gay Furlings?" Sam asked in disbelieving tone.

"Every species has them, Sam," Widget replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "**Every** species. There was this one homosexual Asgard couple that I met during our war with the Nox. They were a couple of fun girls to hang out with," Widget said with a sigh of memories lost.

After a second of 'silence' (meaning neither of them spoke for no club was ever silent when open), Sam asked, "Can we go somewhere else?"

"Why?" Widget countered.

"So I can have a laugh at people trying to get into my pants that **aren't** wearing the same pants I do," Sam answered somewhat awkwardly.

Widget seemed pensive about that before his eyes lit up again. "We're going to Cowboys!" he declared before hoping down and making for the door, the crowd parting before him if only because it was obvious that you moved or got moved. Widget had that effect on people.

The man who had been hitting on the alien only a moment ago turned with Sam to watch him go and made a noise of appreciation in his chest.

"Hate to see him go, but love to watch him leave," Sam said as an indirect quote of the song Honkytonk Badonkadonk.

"You got that right," the man agreed as Sam followed after Widget.

"I heard that, you know," Widget said once the two of them were outside of the club. Sam's face immediately turned red with a blush and she turned towards where she'd parked. "You actually drive one of those god-awful, grounded-yet-flying, screaming metal death traps?" Widget asked as Sam led him to her car.

"Furlings didn't have cars?" Sam asked skeptically.

"We had motorized transportation, but never something as clumsy and awkward as a car. Remind me to show you what we used tomorrow. You'll never drive another car again," Widget said as he grabbed her hand and the two simply disappeared in a flash of light.

"Really?" Sam asked. "Beaming in public?"

"Well we weren't going to drive from Colorado to Texas in one night," Widget replied. "And besides, you've already disclosed the Stargate Program, so what's the problem?"

"The problem is people freaking out when alien technology gets used in front of them!" Sam stressed.

"Says one alien to another," Widget countered as he walked right past the bouncer as if he wasn't there.

Much to Sam's annoyance, the bouncer stopped her but not him. "ID," the man demanded. Sam offered the requested item then the bouncer said, "Entrance is twenty dollars due at the register," before turning to the next person in line.

Sam walked into the club to find Widget simply leaning against the counter next to a woman who, sure enough, stood before a register. Sam reached for her wallet to pay the entrance, and Widget shook his head before snapping his fingers before the woman's face. She was completely oblivious to the fact he was there.

"Damn aliens," Sam muttered as she walked past the woman who was, undoubtedly, under some mental spell Widget had put her in.

"Have a good time at Cowboys!" the woman called after them and Widget simply smiled.

"So, I've been catching up on Human culture…" Widget began.

"You mean staying up all night watching Netflix and Hulu?" Sam corrected.

"Sure, whatever. So there's this show called 'True Blood' that's all about vampires and there's this one chick, Jessica, who learns to brainwash people by making eye-contact with her victims and she's at a club getting hit on by a creepy old guy, she's only physically seventeen years old by the way, and she hypnotizes the guy into shouting…" Widget began as they walked past some guy in his late forties that was hitting on a girl in her early twenties that looked utterly uninterested in the man.

As they walked past him, Widget snapped his fingers and the man shouted, "I'm a pervert with a big boner for Jesus!"

The woman started laughing, the man looked confused, Widget was beaming with pride, and Sam punched him in the arm for messing with the guy's head. "You're a menace to society."

"Human society perhaps," Widget countered with a laugh. "Furlings are immune to mental manipulation of that sort."

"Well stop doing it!" Sam demanded.

"You know you think it's funny too," Widget shot back with another chuckle.

"That's beside the point," Sam replied as they walked up to the bar.

"Admit it, you're just jealous because Humans, for all their upsides, aren't anywhere near as awesome as Furlings. We've got biotics, telepathy, immortality, and we're stronger than you too."

"And yet there's so few of you left," Sam shot back.

"That's just wrong!" Widget said with a half-glare at her. "Oh, who am I kidding? I can't stay mad at you."

"And I abuse that, don't I?" Sam asked with a devilish smile as the bartender walked over.

"What are you having?" he asked.

"What's the strongest thing you have?" Widget inquired.

"Are you looking to pass out or are you looking to forget something… or someone?" the bartender smirked.

"I'm looking for something on Earth that has enough kick to actually hit all three of my stomachs at once," Widget replied truthfully.

The bartender seemed taken aback by that, then he nodded approvingly. "First alien I've ever served," the man said as he started digging around under his counter.

"To be completely honest, you'd never be able to tell if a Jaffa walked in here," Sam countered.

"Or a Tollan," Widget added. "Or an Athosian, a Setedan, a Genii… the list of near-Human aliens in the universe is remarkably long."

"No shit?" the bartender asked. "Weird."

"So, what have you got?" Widget asked excitedly.

"I have for you a trilogy," the bartender replied as he started mixing together a drink. "We call this 'The Bastard Trilogy' or the 'Bastard on the Beach.' I know it's a contradiction, but it's actually four drinks," the bartender explained. "You have the Suffering Bastard, the Dying Bastard, the Dead Bastard, and the Mai Tai which means 'In Heaven.' Some people say there's actually a fifth drink and that you're supposed to begin with a Gin Fizz to warm up, but if you've got an alien metabolism and three stomachs," the bartender said with small chuckle and shake of his head, "then I doubt you'll need it.

"Now, the Suffering Bastard actually has two recipes. Option A: one shot of fresh lime juice, four shots of chilled ginger ale, a dash of angostura bitters, your choice of one shot of rum or bourbon, and one shot of gin garnished with mint sprig, an orange wheel, and a maraschino cherry. Option B is three/fourths an ounce of Orange Curacao, one-point-five shots of rum, one shot of over-proof rum, one shot of fresh lime juice, two shots of orange juice, and half a shot of Orgeat Syrup."

"Just do both," Widget said.

"You got it," the bartender said with another shake of his head.

He made the drinks and handed them both to Widget who smelt both then passed one to Sam. "Bottoms up!" the alien declared before draining the whole cup in one go. Without flinching I might add. He then looked at Sam who had yet to pick her cup up. "It's not like you have to drive home!" he insisted and Sam, much to her later regret, did as she was told. "Atta girl! Next round!"

"You're supposed to **drink** it, not **shoot** it!" the bartender said in a shocked tone.

"Now you tell me," Sam said as she put her empty glass down.

"Humans are weird," Widget added with a shake of his head.

"If you say so," the bartender replied. The man was oddly comfortable serving an alien, which was good because Sam doubted Widget would leave if told to solely on the grounds of not being Human. "Next up, the Dying Bastard. One shot of brandy, one shot of gin, one shot of rum, half a shot of lime juice, one dash of bitters, and one shot of ginger ale."

Another drink made, another drink shot back by an alien. Sam, however, took the bartender's advice and simply drank the concoction. "Step three, the Dead Bastard. One shot of brandy, one shot of bourbon, one shot of gin, one shot of rum, half a shot of lime juice, one dash of bitters, and one shot of ginger ale. At this point you should be really feeling it," the bartender said as he handed out the drinks.

"You got that right," Sam agreed as her head started buzzing happily.

"Assuming you aren't passed out or worshipping the Porcelain Goddess, the last part of the Bastard Trilogy is the Mai Tai. Half a shot of triple sec, half a shot of dark rum, half a shot of Crème de Almond, one shot of light rum, some pineapple juice and sweet and sour mix. Am I to assume you want one too?" the bartender asked Sam who looked halfway towards 'worshipping the Porcelain Goddess' by now.

Widget did as Widget does while Sam just tried to get the drink down. After that, Widget kept ordering drinks while Sam, much to her later regret, tried to keep up. Sometime later, she was leaning on him for support because the world was spinning too fast for her to handle and Widget said, "This chick has it figured out!"

"What?" Sam asked in a delirious tone.

"The song," Widget replied, so Sam listened.

"He needed something soft and loud, and sweet and proud, but tough enough to break a heart. Something beautiful and breakable that lights up in the dark, so God made girls. God made girls. He stood back and told the boys, 'I'm about to rock your world,' and God made girls (For singing in your front seat). God made girls (For dancing to their own beat). He stood back and told the boys, 'I'm about to rock your world,' and God made girls."

"Well *hick* at least I know you're *hick*," Sam tried to say only to tip further over and land with her head resting on his leg.

"She's cut off," the bartender said.

In response, Sam tried to say something angry but only managed to start giggling incessantly. "I agree," Widget's voice said from above her, the bass in his tones making his whole chest vibrate when he talked.

What happened next, nobody knows.

When Sam finally came-to, she was lying in her bed with a headache listening to the steady sounds of air passing through another person's nose. She sat up, which increased the severity of her headache, and looked to where Widget was passed out on the floor of her bedroom aboard the _Nex_. And so it was that Sam woke up one morning with a half-naked alien, half-naked from the waste **up** thankfully, passed out on the floor of her room where she slept aboard an alien-built spaceship in orbit of earth, both of them hung-over, her head throbbing, and thought to herself, _'What has my life become?'_

She shook her head and there was a hitch in the breathing of the other occupant of her room. With a groan of discomfort, Widget pushed himself off of the floor and sat at the foot of her bed with his back against the mattress. "What's that you were saying about there not being enough Human alcohol on Earth to get you drunk?"

"Consider me proven wrong," Widget replied in a bleary tone.

"Now comes the fun part," Sam said as she slid off her mattress… to realize she wasn't wearing anything but her undergarments.

"I had nothing to do with that!" Widget quickly informed her. "You started stripping before we even left the bar. You owe me a shirt, by the way, and I really liked that one!"

"I do?"

"You spilt flaming alcohol on me, and that's another thing. Why the hell did the bartender light a drunk-ass woman's drink on fire?"

"What did I order?"

"Fuck if I know. I remember the song on the radio was Fireball by some guy I can't remember the name of. Next thing I know, you've got a glass of flaming alcohol and you're throwing it at me shouting 'FIREBALL!' in sync with the song. My shirt catches fire, I blast the flames away with my biotics, the club goes quiet at the sight, then the song shouts 'FIREBALL!' again so I just went with it and everyone went back to dancing," Widget explained as he rubbed a sore shoulder and Sam noticed that, as he had said, there was a minor burn on his naked chest and the waistband of his pants were singed. "Remind me to pad the floors. Metal sucks to sleep on."

"Then sleep in a bed next time," Sam shot back as she slipped into her closet to get dressed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Widget waved her off as he left her room. "I'll be back in a second," he added over his shoulder before there was a thud of displaced air.

Sam poked her head out of her closet to ask what he meant only to realize the thud was a biotic Charge. With a sigh, she went back to putting on her uniform. Then she remembered why she was so willing to get plastered last night. It was her day off. Another thud announced Widget's return, the alien properly clothed now and a smile on his face.

"You ready for this?" he asked excitedly.

"Ready for what?" Sam questioned skeptically.

"Do you recall **anything** from last night? Like the part where you tried to drive and I said I'd never get into one of those death traps on wheels? You know, the part that was followed immediately by me promising you that I would show you how Furlings got around before the Fall?"

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Sam asked.

"You'll never know if you don't try," Widget said with a smile while holding out his hand.

"Is that supposed to be reassuring?"

Her answer to that question was a roll of green eyes followed by a three-fingered hand grabbing her wrist. With all the ease of an alien born stronger than the most hardcore weight lifter on Earth, Widget pulled Sam into him, tossed her onto his back, and said, "Hold on!" before there was a third thud of displaced air.

The world around Sam turned into a streak of green light then stabilized as they reached an intersection. Widget planted his foot on the wall and pushed off with another thud, the world turning into a green tunnel once more. A few more thuds and they were standing in a large, cavernous hangar. The only thing present in the room was a thing that looked like a motorcycle that was simply hovering above the floor.

"And that is?" Sam asked.

"They're named after a type of bird from Glacialis, so the name doesn't translate into English. Long story short, they get you from point-A to point-B FAST **and** without biotics."

...

Kimberly took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. With any luck, today would be another quiet day with no problems. Without any luck, this day would get her fired. She hated being in charge on Sam's day off. She had led small teams before, sure, but a ship crewed by people from almost every country across the globe? That was daunting."

With another deep breath, Kimberly stepped out onto the platform that served as a train station for the ship's internal transportation grid, which was to be upgraded to a beaming system later this week if all went to plan, and joined the others waiting for the train. That was another strange part of her daily life. She knew she was in orbit of Earth, and yet she was still living in an apartment (an apartment aboard an alien spaceship) riding the subway to work (aboard that same alien spaceship). She shook her head at that.

Then she heard a scream of terror.

Kimberly looked up the dark tunnel that ran the length of the ship directly above the massive coaxial cannons that had been installed and managed to make out two things. The first was the train fast approaching the station. The second was a small vehicle riding just ahead of the train with a rocket-based propulsion system providing it with an incredible speed. Sitting atop the hovering, rocket-propelled vehicle was the massive bulk of their resident AI-turned-organic, and, clinging to him with her arms tightly wrapped around his waist still screaming, was Sam.

The small vehicle roared past the station and Kimberly just barely managed to catch a glimpse of blonde hair flowing out from under the helmet of the second rider. Then she blinked and they were past the station, the train was pulling in, and the only thing Kimberly could think was, _'I want one!'_

**Twelve Months Post-Disclosure:**

* * *

><p>"To a future that's only getting brighter!" Lieutenant-General Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill declared, a cheer of 'here here' rising from the table.<p>

Gathered together all in one place for the first time in months, the members of SG-1, minus Jonas Quinn who couldn't make it despite being invited, were joined by a few of their closest friends and family.

"Hard to believe it's been a year to the day," Colonel Ian Davidson said as he took a long drink of his beer.

"And a good year at that," Lieutenant-General Hank Landry agreed gruffly. Clearly he still believed this was all some type of dream. Things never went this good for them unless it was because they were captured by Hathor and having their minds probed. Then again, it was Hammond who was in charge when that particular incident occurred.

"We've come a long way," Doctor Daniel Jackson added with a nod.

"It has been 'a hell of a ride'!" Vala Mal Doran exclaimed, her glass raised high.

"To those who couldn't make it here," Brigadier-General Samantha Carter called out, her glass joining Vala's.

"Hail the victorious dead!" the now full-bird Colonel Cameron Mitchell declared.

"Hail the victorious dead!" a chorus answered him followed by a moment of respectful silence.

"We have lost a lot of good people," Lieutenant-General George Hammond said. "If they were still here, they'd be proud of what we've accomplished. Earth is united!"

Another chorus of, "Hail the victorious dead!" answered his words.

"We've worked hard to see this day," George continued. "We've each suffered our wounds, faced our own demons, and lost a friend or two along the way. Today we celebrate the anniversary of Disclosure. Once upon a time, the word was a curse. Now it unites us as Humans of one world with one voice. Now, I believe Jack has prepared dinner this fine evening, so if it's burnt and tastes like crap, just act like it's five-star quality or he'll drop a plasma round on you from orbit."

"Hey!" Jack said defensively. "That would be a gross misallocation of resources, and the collateral damage would be too costly. I'm far more likely to send a Vulture loaded up with our Ground Forces to make things more… personal." A rictus of laughter followed their banter as Jack went to get the steaks off the grill.

"So what's with the new structuring of the UNSC Armed Forces, anyway?" Daniel asked as he served potato salad by the spoon-full. "Vala made it," he added quietly when Sam poked at her serving with her fork, a concerned look on her face.

"Three branches exist in the UNSC to the exclusion of all others. There's the Space Force, they fly the spaceships, go figure, the Air Force, they fly the fighters, gunships, and dropships, and the Ground Force, they're the boots and treads on the ground. There is no 'Army' or 'Marines' arguing over who's better. Now it's just the Ground Force. General term used to describe everything from the mobile artillery pieces and the tanks, to the armored boots marching across alien soil," Jack explained as he returned with the main course.

"And you're in charge of all of that?" Vala asked.

"Unfortunately," Jack replied with a groan of dismay. "On the bright side, I get to delegate. Sam's been named the Director of the Space Force. The only authority greater than hers in terms of ships is my own. General Ervin's been named the Director of the Ground Force since he's already the CO of the _Ares_ and Taylor here's been named his Executive Officer. I still need someone to delegate the Air Force to, but my first pick won't take the job," Jack added, glaring at Cam.

"I am not being promoted to a General!" Cam said defiantly. "I **just** got the _Achilles_ and you're already trying to put me behind a desk! Let me have my own ship for a few years then we'll readdress the issue."

"Or you could just stop being selfish and help an old friend out," Jack countered.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"Come one, Jack, let the boy have his fun!" Ian said with a deep laugh. "Even Sam's itching to get back out there. The only reason you got her pinned into the place she's in is because she's the only Human with Furling DNA in the whole galaxy!"

"Speaking of which, where **are** the Furlings. We haven't been able to make contact with the Impolan Stargate in months. What ever happened to them?" Sam asked.

"They abandoned their base," Hank replied as he cut into his steak. "Beautifully done, Jack."

"Thank you," Jack replied with a nod.

"Why did they do that?" Daniel asked.

"When the Furlings freed the _Isai_ from the asteroid they had encased her in, they destroyed the asteroid in the process. After that, both the Impolans and Furlings split up and went their separate ways. Every now and again we get a message from the Impolans telling us to avoid a certain planet. That planet is then either attacked by the Cylons, the Lucian Alliance, Ba'al, or their own forces," Widget replied through a mouth full of food.

"Manners, Widget," Sam snapped. In reply to that, Widget stuck his tongue out at her with it still covered in mashed potatoes and steak. "You're such a child," Sam said with a shake of her head, the table laughing at her annoyance.

"They never rest, do they?" Daniel asked in reference to their previous conversation.

"Come now, Daniel. If they did, you never would be able to. They're keeping two of Earth's enemies at bay while we build up our forces. Just thank them and stop questioning their work ethic," Vala chided him.

"She does have a point," Ian agreed. "Our long range sensors have even picked up one of their ships scouring the Cyrannus Sector. They're going really in-depth with their study of the Cylons. I've actually met the Mimner now. He showed up to ask the Colonials about the Cylons then left again. Strange man."

"Indeed," Teal'c said again.

"So the Furlings just vanished from the face of the galaxy? Again?" Vala inquired.

"Well, Widget, you're the all-knowing AI," Jack prompted.

"First, I am not omniscient," Widget countered.

"It's true, he's not," Sam added with a taunting smirk.

"Second, they're not in range of my sensors anymore."

"Not in range?" Daniel asked.

"Don't you have a galaxy-spanning network of satellites?" Vala added.

"Well, the nefork is **extemely** old and sefral of the satellites don't work anymore *swallow* which means there are blind spots in my 'vision.' *pause to get more food* The last thin I goth that indicated anyfing about their whereabouts put the _Isai_ at the edge of the galxy. Then they vanished. I fink they're searching Dark Space for te Demons."

"Stop talking with your mouth full!" Sam all but shouted while punching the AI sitting beside her in the arm.

"He afed a question!" Widget countered defensively.

"Then chew and shallow before you answer it!" Sam insisted.

"I love that movie!" Widget exclaimed.

The conversation, once again, was interrupted by a round of chuckles. Sam shook her head but couldn't stop the laugh from escaping her lips. She had to admit, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was a good movie.

"Speaking of movies, I hear that there will be one made on the Battle for Earth," Teal'c mused.

Jack made a sound of being disgusted, Landry shook his head, and Hammond nodded sadly in reply. "We wanted a documentary that focused on the people serving. Instead we're getting a sci-fi rip-off that's about the action and excitement of killing aliens!" Jack practically spat. "We have allies that are aliens, and the media's trying to make us look like alien-haters! What happens when that makes it off of Earth, huh?"

"Calm down, Jack," Daniel said soothingly. "Michael Bay lost the bid to produce the movie. Emmett Bregman won full rights to the production of a movie with a working title of 'Fall of the Gods.' He's going to incorporate the footage he shot of us three years back when…" Daniel trailed off before clearing his throat. "When Janet was still alive."

A moment of silence followed his words, then Jack finally nodded approvingly. "At least he's already proven he's dedicated to getting the truth out. He won't spin it politically or make it about the entertainment value. How much is he doing?"

"All the way from the interviews from three years ago up to today so expect him to request another interview sometime soon. He'll take everyone through the story of the Stargate Program with interviews, real footage, and facts. There won't be any purposefully generated over-exaggerated explosions or unexpected plot twists. Just the Stargate Program pure and simple," Daniel replied.

"Technically, the 'Stargate Program pure and simple' has **several** plot twists. Adria being one of them," Vala countered.

"And how go the defenses of Earth now that you have revealed the existence of the Stargate?" Teal'c asked with a small smile. Clearly the Jaffa was leading up to something.

"The surface-to-orbit defense network is in place and the global power grid in up and running. Now we're looking at building arcologies to house the population of the more densely populated areas," Sam replied. "And how's the recovery of Dakara coming along?" she added with a knowing smile of her own.

"We have restored much that was lost and have even safeguarded the planet from further assault by installing a planetary defense shield of our own," Teal'c replied with a prideful smile.

"I figured as much," Sam said.

"That's enough of that talk!" Jack cut in as he sat at the head of the table. "No more talk about wars and space and weapons. Daniel, Vala, how's the married life treating you?"

"Well," Vala replied with a huff, "Daniel **refuses** to open a joint bank account with both our names on it. I'm starting think he doesn't trust me with money."

"It took you long enough to figure that out," Daniel said with a casual shrug as he started eating. Vala looked at him indignantly and the group burst into laughter at Vala's facial expression.


	38. The Other Side of Sanity

Just in the interest of stopping the complaints before they start, yes I'm altering the _Atlantis_ timeline. No I will not apologize for doing so. _Atlantis_ is now a power house, the Wraith are a threat, and the city's trip back to Earth before Enemy at the Gate obviously changed things. Also, there is so much debate over the actual size of _Atlantis_ that I've come up with figures that make **me** happy. I went off of that whole "_Atlantis_ is the size of Manhattan," thing and made actual numbers. My point is, I'll use those numbers every time I refer to _Atlantis_ instead of changing them constantly like the internet does. On that note, let's get started!

Chapter 37

The Other Side of Sanity

***Milky Way Galaxy (Lucian Alliance Territory)***

**Sliaagawa (Surface)**

*Lucian Alliance Production Facility (Factory Floor) [one year post-disclosure]*

"We don't care about capturing their war potential, right?" Tommy shouted over the sounds of gunfire tearing through the air.

"No!" Oliver shouted back as he popped out of cover to return fire with his own rifle.

"Jack! Knock it over!" Tommy shouted as he slid into cover behind a crate to let his Barrier recover and swap out his overheated assault rifle for the pistol on his thigh.

"For once, Tommy, I won't argue with you," Jack said as she popped out of cover to throw a Singularity into a thicket of Alliance soldiers.

Tommy chased her attack down with his own, the Warp detonating the Singularity and sending body parts to all corners of the room as limbs were torn from bodies by the explosion. As the Alliance soldiers ducked into cover to avoid the hailstorm of bullets that tore through the air from the Zeta's side of the engagement, Jack approached the wall of crates that were stopping them from progressing. With an inhuman roar, the woman's aura darkened to a nearly opaque consistency. Then, with the laws of physics actively laughed at, Jack took a step forward.

Her training, like their own, had been extensive. Covering twenty meters in a single step was a thing of the past for the woman. Now, she practically teleported. Her biotics opened a tunnel filled with a vacuum then punted her forward. Jack moved so fast through that tunnel that her body blue-shifted, and, for a brief moment, she was in two places at once as she crossed thirty meters in one step. Then light caught up to her, reality corrected itself, and the shockwave of energy that Jack unleashed at the end of her Charge toppled the three story-high pile of goods and sent the whole wall crashing down on the Alliance soldiers in its path.

As the clamor finally quieted, Oliver asked, "Contacts?"

Gabi looked down at her tac-pad, the computer heavily enhanced by the Furlings before they went their separate ways. They were still a few months out from creating honest-to-god Omni-tools, but they were closer now than they were a year ago. "Motion sensors aren't picking up anything, thermals are still blinded by the equipment around us, and the EM spectrum is clear. Hostiles presumed eliminated."

"Then let's get this over with," Oliver said as he slipped his semi-automatic rifle onto the magnetic holster on his back and led the way up towards the control booth. It was so nice to have an actual, working gun again. Spending the whole time they were with the Colonials using his bow was absolute torture. He only carried the damn thing around in the first place because the Mimner was supposed to be a God and nothing said 'fear me' quite like a primitive weapon making Jaffa explode.

**Sliaagawa (Orbit)**

*_Shadow of Opportunity_ (Combat Information Center) [thirty minutes later]*

"Welcome back, Colonel," Oliver's Executive Officer aboard the _Shadow of Opportunity_, another Australian woman but this one a raven with long dark hair and amber eyes, said in greeting. She was still ranked under Ry in terms of the Zeta's hierarchy, but she oversaw the ship's operation while Oliver was away. Her training in, and natural-born inclination towards, the field of military logistics had kept the Zeta Site running for four years. No one bothered to question her when it came to those matters anymore.

"Fleet status," Oliver replied.

"The SR-1s are docking as we speak and Colonel Ry has sent a report back from the Colonial route to New Caprica. I forwarded his call to your private terminal and put him on hold," Madison Blosseville replied smoothly. "As for damages, there's nothing significant to report. When the _Flame_ lost its shields, the armor held back the two rounds it took. The damage was cosmetic at best, and a small dent at worse."

Oliver nodded in reply to that. "Better than I'd expected."

"Then you don't think us to be a very capable bunch, do you?" Gabi asked rhetorically.

"No, I just expected twenty Ha'tak to be more trouble than that given that we purposefully didn't try jumping past their shields," Oliver replied as he worked the controls to his private terminal and linked the _Shadow of Opportunity_'s FTLC to the _Relentless Fury_. The channel crackled as the ship's AI secured the line and Ry's avatar shimmered into existence in the CIC next to Oliver. "What did you find?" Oliver asked.

"_A Cylon force scouring the Cyrannus Sector in search of the Colonial remnant,"_ Ry replied stoically. Even his face was blank which meant that Ry had made good on his earlier promise to find the part of his mind that controlled his facial expressions and repressed it. Oliver shook his head at that. Ry was a good man even if he refused to let emotions compromise him… maybe even because of that fact. _"They started their search near the planet you informed us to be Kobol and spread out from there. Judging from the formation of their search patterns, they are unaware of the Colonials' current location, nor are they aware of the upgraded navigational program you used to get them where they are."_

"And what is the state of Kobol?" Oliver asked.

"_You detonated a ZPM on its surface,"_ Ry replied casually. _"There is nothing left of the planet nor the system it once inhabited."_

"But you said they started at Kobol."

"_Then I was not specific enough. They started their search where Kobol once was. Now there is nothing but a super-active nebula and residual energy waves that are rendering our cloak inoperable. However, it appears our jammers are still sufficient enough to keep us hidden."_

"What can you tell me about the Cylons?"

"_They have upgraded their systems considerably. We have detected Naquadah power cores, shields, plasma weapons, ring platforms, subspace sensors and communications arrays, and several other Goa'uld technologies present on their ships. We are, however, incapable of getting close enough to scan within in the hull to detect any changes to the Centurions without being detected."_

"Have they caught wind of the Colonials' trail? If they've been searching for a year, then I doubt they're far off from finding New Caprica."

"_Indeed,"_ Ry replied and his image was replaced by a map of the area around the _Flame_. _"The Cylons are coming within a dangerously close range of the nebula that hides the Colonial remnant. It is now only a matter of time before the Cylons begin searching the nebula itself. If they do,"_ Ry continued as his body replaced the map, _"then we will have to fight to hold the planet long enough for it to be evacuated. That, or we will have to defend it indefinitely until the mines are no longer useful. That, however, still leaves the Colonials themselves."_

"The Generals have pretty much unanimously agreed that they're not letting the Colonials live on Earth. I think O'Neill's still pissed that they tried to lead the Cylons to a planet that they didn't know could defend itself, Landry agrees with him, Hammond thinks they can 'earn' their way to Earth, and both Carter and Ervin see them as useless so won't vote either way. For now, the majority of the UNSC's leadership sees them as the native populace alloying them access to their world, nothing more. If we're going to get reinforcements for the Colonials, we're going to have to spin this in a way that highlights the need to defend the mines," Oliver mused.

"Easily done," Gabi said from her place in a nearby work-station. With a thrum of energy, the _Shadow of Opportunity_ jumped into hyperspace with her smaller ships tucked away in the shipboard hangar bays designed to maintain them. "Last I heard, O'Neill had pushed the plans for Earth's first _Athena_-class City Ship up by a few years. They're actually producing the base for a City Ship now, and O'Neill's decided to have it be the first of the mobile fleet command centers. With the Wraith actively seeking the location of _Atlantis_, which they had to move again after Todd revealed he knew where New Lantea was, they're looking to reinforce the city. That means that once New Caprica's done being mined, they're going to send the _Hephaestus_ to Pegasus to start mining a planet there and send the materials to _Athena_ which will follow it a few weeks later. They're about three months out from launching so they'll need New Caprica's resources to last them that long. If O'Neill wants his mobile command center, he's going to have to hold the planet. Just remind him of that and the Colonials will be fine."

"I knew they were sending an _Aurora_, two more _Achilles_, and an _O'Neill_, but another two City Ships? Is the situation in Pegasus really that bad?" Oliver asked.

"Well, Todd's taken Colonel Caldwell's threat seriously and is banding the Wraith together to take on _Atlantis_. That, and the Replicators are still there so there's two enemies to face," Gabi replied as she turned to face him. "And they're sending the _Gaia_, _Apollo_, and four 304s, not a 308, 309, and two more 306s."

Oliver sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "I lost track of the fleet's designation system after the Post-Fifth Race Upgrades."

"You have the X-301, F-302, and X-303," Gabi explained in a condescendingly slow tone. "That's the first attempt at a space superiority fighter, the first space superiority fighter we had, and the _Prometheus_ which, technically, never got the official designation of Battlecrusier. Then there's the DSC-304 A which is the standard _Daedalus_-class or the Deep Space Carrier variant. The BC-304 B is the Post-Fifth Race _Daedalus_-class or the actual **Battlecruiser** variant. The IC-305 is the _Ares_-class Invasion Carriers being built at the Alpha Site. The HC-306 is the _Achilles_-class Heavy Cruisers which was put into production before the new fighters. Because of that, the new fighters are the F-307s. They would've been the F-302 B, but their design was so radically different that Sam gave it a new series marker. After that is the D-308 _O'Neill_-class Dreadnought which was added to the fleet in an official capacity after the fighters were which is why it's the 308 instead of the 307. Then they launched the HD-309 _Aurora_-class **Heavy** Dreadnought which is the _Gaia_-Refits. Then you have the SD-310 Furling-class **Super** Dreadnought, of which there is one, the _Paciscor of Nex_.

"Then there's the City Ships!" Gabi exclaimed in a tone of false excitement. "Of which, there are now five, count them **five**, classes. Well, technically there's seven, but only four of them are ours with the other three being Ancient. You have the _Delphi_-class that we found on Kobol, the second class that the Ancient never actually built, and the stock-standard _Atlantis_-class as we found it in Pegasus all those years ago. Then you have 'our' City Ships. There's the remodeled _Atlantis_-class which is _Atlantis_ as it is now with the piers altered to be ecologies and hangar bays, the extra power generators, and everything else we did. Next you have the _Hephaestus_-class City Ship which is the mobile mining platform class so named for the crippled God of fire, metalworking, and crafts. They say that Hephaestus crafted Zeus' lightning bolts so the mining ships being named after him is fitting.

"Then there's the _Athena_-class City Ship which is the mobile military base/shipyards/command center/anything-O'Neill-wants-it-to-be. The reason they went with Athena is actually pretty self-explanatory. Ares was already taken, and, because there's always a reason for not switching out the names, Athena is the Goddess of intelligence, skill, peace, warfare, battle strategy, handicrafts, and wisdom, which fits the class better. It is, after all, a mobile command center, not just a weapon of war like the _Ares_ is."

With a sigh and one last deep breath, Gabi finished them off. "Then there's the _Demeter_-class City Ship which was designed by the egg-heads at Area 51 to be everything you need to sustain a colony. It has ecologies in all of its piers, matter converters to produce building materials, and a specially modified shield that can cover a larger area more easily to protect a colony from attack as well as holding in a larger quantity of breathable air over a greater area. Should we ever start colonizing other worlds, this will be the first thing we send to the planet we claim. The reason they went with Demeter is because Demeter is the Goddess of grain, agriculture, the harvest, growth, and nourishment."

"I hate all this expansion so much right now," Oliver said with a shake of his head. "And where do our ships fit into that?"

"When we get back to Earth and no longer lie to everyone about being aliens?" Gabi asked with a shrug. "We don't. Someone else takes our place as the Impolans and the Zeta Project continues without us. That, or we can sign on to stay another tour as Earth's secret fleet. Because of that, we have our own system. The SR-1s are Stealth Recon Frigates, plain and simple. None of that '301' crap, just '1.' Then the _Shadow of Opportunity_ is the SR-2. It's just a Stealth Recon Cruiser. Just as plain, just as simple. We'll never be a part of Earth's fleet. Not unless the **Impolans** become part of Earth's fleet."

"So many lies, so few truths," Oliver said with a sad shake of his head.

"_Indeed,"_ Ry agreed stoically.

"Just keep an eye on the Cylons. We're headed for the next weapons facility. After we're done with it, we'll switch the _Fury_ out with the _Destruction_ and you can get back into the fight. _Shadow of Opportunity_ out," Oliver replied before ending the transmission. "How many more facilities are there?"

"Two more including the one we're about to hit. After that, the Lucian Alliance's war production capabilities will be contained on Lucia itself," Madison replied almost instantly.

"Then we've almost eliminated the Lucian Alliance as a galactic power," Oliver said with a nod. "Not bad for only four years of work."

***Pegasus Galaxy (UEG-Claimed Territory)***

**New-New Lantea (Surface)**

*_UEG Atlantis_ (Weir's Office)*

"And you're saying you encountered the Asurans?" Weir asked, her tones low despite her door being closed.

"Unless you know someone else that has the resources to send two _Auroras_ after us, yes," Colonel Caldwell replied.

"Are you sure it wasn't the _Gaia_ playing a prank on you?"

Caldwell looked at Weir with a skeptical look. "You're that desperate for it to not to be them?" he asked to which she simply looked nervous in reply. "Look, Doctor, the Asurans aren't a threat to us anymore. They can try to destroy us all they want, but if the _Apollo_ could give them a run for their money before the upgrades to the new class, then the _Achilles_-class can beat them outright. Two _Auroras_ are now dust in space, Elizabeth. They're not a threat."

"They're robots," Weir countered as she finally managed to force herself to sit down. "They can build their ships fast, and if they capture one of **our** ships…" Weir trailed off with a shake of her head. "It would be the end of us."

"There are countermeasures in place to prevent that from happening," Caldwell countered. "From what I understand, the PWARW is nearly completed, right?" Weir nodded in response. "Then we wait until the SGC can send us one, and we take care of the problem once and for all."

"But they're **hunting** you!" Weir countered. "They left their homeworld, in force, and hunted down the _Daedalus_. How many ships did they send after you? Just those two, or more? How do we know you were the target? What if they're after _Atlantis_ again?"

"Doctor!" Caldwell interrupted forcefully. "_Atlantis_ is a weapon of war equipped with enough firepower to eliminate every ship Earth currently has in operation and enough power in her generators to survive the return fire we'd level against it. The Asurans. Are. Not. A. Threat!"

"And if they don't come for _Atlantis_?" Weir asked simply. Caldwell blinked dumbly in reply. "If they start targeting the Wraith, that's fine, but what if they start attacking the people of this galaxy? They **know** we'll mobilize against them if they make a move against our allies. They'll force you out and ambush you the moment you exit hyperspace. And if we don't send help, the Asurans will start wiping out entire populations to get our attention, and it **will** work."

"So, what? You want me to launch an attack on Asuras now? We all know what happened the last time we used an ineffective first strike against them, Doctor Weir. They don't know where _Atlantis_ is, true, but an all-out assault on their homeworld could provoke them to your hypothetical state of total war even faster. Why don't we just wait for the reinforcements to get here, then dial the SGC and see what General O'Neill has to say about this?" Caldwell suggested.

"Okay, Colonel. We'll send this up the chain of command. What are we expecting to arrive and when?" Weir asked.

"The _Gaia_, _Apollo_, _Sun Tzu_, _Phoenix_, _Two for Flinching_, and _Cream Puff_ will be in orbit in a few hours…" Caldwell began before trailing off when Weir gave him a questioning look. "The _Gaia_ is the ship we recovered from the Travelers last year, the _Apollo_ was upgraded to an _Achilles_-class, and the other four are 304 Bs."

"And the **names**?" Weir asked, her tones obviously suppressing a laugh.

"Oh, that," Caldwell mumbled. "The _Sun Tzu_ belongs to the Chinese, the _Phoenix_ was built by the Canadians, the _Two for Flinching_ was named by the UK, and the _Cream Puff_ was made in New Zealand."

"I see," Weir said with a look of amusement clear on her face. "And the commander of this fleet?"

"General O'Neill has appointed me the 'Fleet Commander,' his words not mine, of the Space Force in Pegasus since I know the Wraith better than anyone else from a militaristic point-of-view. The CO of the _Gaia_ is a Japanese Admiral who has already assured O'Neill he'll follow whatever orders he's given. O'Neill is also contemplating my promotion to make things easier, but assures me that if I'm promoted to General I won't be stuck behind a desk. The chain of command's been set, and everyone will be ready to deploy within an hour of their arrival. Fresh air is a requirement for every living being after spending four days in hyperspace, so we'll let them walk around a bit which gives us time to iron out a plan of attack."

"Then, with any luck, we won't have to worry about the Asurans for much longer. What about the Wraith?"

"Todd's alliance is growing stronger and entire planetary populations have gone missing. If I know Todd half as well as I think I do, he's hoarding them all on one world where he can defend a rich feeding ground made richer by adding people to it. With his alliance needing only that one world to survive off of, he'll be hard to find, impossible to cut off from his food source, and he'll be poised to start searching for _Atlantis_. We're going to have to accept the fact that moving _Atlantis_ into the void between systems and living off of the hydroponics stations might be the only way to avoid detection in the coming months. With the Neutrino Ion Generators we have, it won't even be a strain on the ZPMs to keep the shield up, the food growing, and the fleet up and running."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Weir said.

"We're rapidly approaching that point, Elizabeth. Todd is hell-bent on surviving. Can't say I blame him, but his way of living won't be tolerated. When those ships get here and we start deploying more than just the _Daedalus_ against him, Todd's going to figure out that we mean business pretty damn quick. When news of the Wraith got out to Earth, there was an uproar. Do you know how many people enlisted into the UNSC with 'taking the fight to the Wraith' as their reason for conscripting? Thousands, Elizabeth. The people back home want the Wraith gone, and I can't say I blame them."

"Neither can I," Weir agreed, "but I wish there was another way. If they could feed on **anything** but Humans, it wouldn't be a problem."

"But they can't."

"I know," Weir said with a sad nod. "And we're going to have to wipe them out to the last because of it."

***Milky Way Galaxy (Uncharted Territory)***

**Desolate World (Atmosphere)**

*_FGN Isai_ (Combat Information Center) [two days later]*

"This is the planet," Sieon said as the _Isai_ flew low into the planet's atmosphere.

All that their sensors could detect were crumbling ruins set aflame by super-heated fluids fired at the speed of a railgun. Long gouges had been carved through the cityscape, forests burned freely, and dead bodies were everywhere. Those were the lucky ones. The others had been taken and turned into the abominations that had attacked the Tok'ra.

"There can be no doubt of that fact," Wy'H'ofacion agreed with a sad nod.

"They did not deserve this," Izotiusk added.

"Rare is the time when those deserving of mercy receive it," Rana replied coldly as she worked the controls to the Destroyer and took them lower before the _Isai_ was made to hover over the tallest building that was still standing. "We must search the ruins for signs of their plans. If we cannot find anything, then the Demons will remain hidden in darkness and we will remain powerless to stop them."

"What exactly are we to search for?" Vordir asked as he followed after Rana and the others to where they stored their weapons and armor.

"Anything that does not belong to this universe," Wy'H'ofacion replied.

***Pegasus Galaxy (UEG-Claimed Territory)***

**New-New Lantea (Surface)**

*_UEG Atlantis_ (Caldwell's Office)*

Steven sighed deeply as he read over the holographic report that existed inside of a frame of metal-like, space-age plastic set up in a way that he could stick his hand through the report and have it come out the other side. Why they decided to make everything holographic was beyond him. It's not like they **needed** holographic tablets for military reports. The orange light hurt his eyes and this report in particular was making his head hurt. Two days of operating in Pegasus with a true fleet and they were still getting their asses handed to them from all directions.

Steven looked around his office and shook his head. His 'office' was a room much like Weir's, but his was located at the base of the tower that overlooked the primary hangar bay, and only a few dozen meters from the Gate Tower. It put him right next to the crux of the military activity in the city, and his office even included a specialized display that showed the status of the shipyards that were located in the city's piers as well as the Gate Room itself. One of those hangar bays was active right now.

A knock on his door brought his attention away from that terminal. "Come in," he said with a mental note of dread. He did not need Sheppard's antics right now.

"Are things that bad?" Elizabeth asked as she stepped in and the door closed behind her.

Steven sighed and dropped his head into his hands. "I like commanding a ship, don't get me wrong, but a fleet?" Steven asked rhetorically.

"Like you said, you know the Wraith better than anyone else," Elizabeth said encouragingly. "That, and General O'Neill doesn't strike me as the type of man to promote people based off of biased opinion. He trusts you because you earned that trust. The Admiral may have more experience in leading a naval fleet, but not in leading a **space** fleet and he knows nothing about Wraith tactics. If you find yourself overwhelmed, ask for help from those who are most likely to be capable of helping you. As much as I enjoy living in _Atlantis_, I'm no military commander, General. For the longest time, I had to ask John for advice in those regards, and I still ask Teyla for her opinion on things every day because she's led her people longer than I have. Don't hesitate to ask for help, Steven. That shows more weakness through pride than simply asking does. The Japanese are a very honor-bound society. I'm sure the Admiral will be willing to help if you ask him to."

Steven shook his head at the simplicity of her answer. "Of course it's that simple," he mumbled.

Elizabeth smiled at him in reply. "I find that it almost always is. I search so long for the complicated answer when the simplest answer is just that. Now, I know it's none of my official business, but I believe we have a damaged ship?"

"None of your business?" Steven asked indignantly. "You're still the leader of _Atlantis_, Elizabeth. The IOA isn't around to supersede you anymore, and I'll be damned if I'm going to start ignoring you. You were right about the Asurans. Even with the Ori invasion of Earth eminent, we shouldn't have pissed them off like that. A lot of people could've died, and everyone ignored you until it was too late. We would've lost _Atlantis_ if eleven ZPMs hadn't have materialized out of nowhere overnight, and now the Asurans are actively hunting us down."

"So it **was** them again," Elizabeth said with a sad nod. "Scuttlebutt had said as much."

"They slipped a drone through the _Two for Flinching_'s shield and took out one of her primary engines. If the AI hadn't have seen it coming and drained the power from the engine, we would've lost the ship. As it is, twenty people were injured in the explosion and ten were killed outright. Add to that the damage to the ship's hull and the _Flinching_'s down for the foreseeable future. From what I understand, they only made it back through luck. The hull was compromised but they jumped into hyperspace anyway. Better to take the risk of death in hyperspace over the certainty of it if they stayed to fight."

"Is it just me, or are they tracking our ships? We know the Ori could track the _Odyssey_, is it possible the Asurans are tracking them too?"

"The Ori tracked the wake left in the _Odyssey_'s passage when the Asgard Core's power cell was active during a hyperspace jump. We never confirmed if the ship could be detected while cloaked or if it was just something that allowed them to track her while in hyperspace. Thankfully the Ori aren't around anymore for us to test that, but the question still stands. The problem is, we don't have a power source like that so it's unlikely that the Asurans are tracking our ships. If they were, they would've followed the _Flinching_ back to _Atlantis_ and we'd be under siege… again."

"What about the ZPMs?" Elizabeth asked.

Steven shook his head. "No, not possible. If they were tracking ZPMs, the _Flinching_'s the last ship they'd find. She doesn't have a ZPM. In fact, the only ships in this galaxy that **do** are the _Gaia_, _Daedalus_, _Apollo_, and _Atlantis_. If the Asurans could track ZPMs, they'd have found _Atlantis_ already."

"We haven't used the ZPMs since we landed on the City Factory. They've actually been dormant and unused for the entirety of the past year, and I never thought I'd live in this city without ZPMs being the primary source of power. The fact they were so rare made them valuable. Now? We're producing ten of them every week back on Earth, but we're not using them for the ships anymore."

"The planetary defense shield was given the priority over everything else. The primary satellites now all have five, fully charged ZPMs in them with two more on standby and I hear quite a few of them went into the global power grid. The others that have been produced so far were put up for auction for the UEG countries. Those who purchased one, much to everyone's surprise, plugged them into the generators powering the matter conversion slips. The _Cream Puff_ was produced entirely by the energy of a ZPM."

"I'll never get over that name," Elizabeth said with a shake of her head.

"Neither will I," Steven agreed before sighing in frustration. "The _Flinching_ doesn't have a ZPM. Only the Dreadnoughts were given on by design and the ships that had them beforehand were allowed to keep them. The _Daedalus_, _Apollo_ and _Gaia_ are the only ships in this galaxy with ZPMs… well, the only ships **we** control at any rate. I'm sure the _Auroras_ the Asurans use have them too."

"That is how the Lanteans held back the Wraith as long as they did. It is concerning, but maybe it's a coincidence. In a matter of months, we can build an _Achilles_. The Asurans are a robotic species that never rests and we left them alone for quite some time when we went to reinforce Earth. They've had a year to rebuild their forces since the last time we attacked them. They're sure to have quite the sizable fleet by now."

"So much for having them dealt with quickly," Steven sighed.

"If only we could get them to focus on the Wraith. Then the Wraith would be under attack from multiple sides and that much easier to beat, and we wouldn't have to worry about the Asurans," Elizabeth mused.

"That's a good point," Steven said brightly before hitting a button on his desk. "Deniece, are the Asurans subjectable to a hack?"

With a shimmer of light being collected into a semi-tangible form, the _Daedalus_' AI appeared standing on a small emitter located on Steven's desk. The six-inch female AI, still wearing the standard uniform for a crewmen of one of Earth's ships, snapped off a salute before replying. _"Not remotely, sir."_

"The AI salutes you?" Elizabeth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I hold everyone to the same standards," Steven replied simply. "Explain."

"_Somewhere located on Asuras is a computer core similar in function to the AI Core on the _Nex_. Like all of the AIs in Earth's fleet, the firewalls of the Asuran Collective are strengthened by numbers. The same way that Apollo was reinforced by the other AIs during an attempt by a Demon to hack their computers, the Asurans will stand as a unified force against any attempt at hacking their systems. The only way to bypass these electronic defenses would be physically accessing the Asuran Core. Consider it the hard drive that houses their minds. If you reprogram the Core, the next time they 'check themselves' or update their software from the Core, the new programming will go into effect. A Trojan Horse of sorts, the changes would wait until every Asuran was linked into the Core before affecting them all at once so they couldn't 'fix' each other once a change was noted."_

"So to hack them, you have to have access to the Core…" Elizabeth began.

"Which is protected by an army of robots," Steven finished.

"It's still worth a shot. A stealth insertion coinciding with an orbital assault could buy a team enough time to affect the changes, and we could reprogram the Asurans to attack the Wraith."

Steven rubbed his chin thoughtfully before replying. "It would require coordination and a plan other than just 'get to the Core.' We need to know the lay of the land, which means we need scans. A ship will be too obvious and none of our capital ships have cloaking devices. Are any of the Jumpers equipped with the same hyperdrive the Vultures are?"

"Plato?" Elizabeth asked, the city's AI joining the _Daedalus_' AI in the small projector.

"_According to my records, the only changes made to the Gate Ships was the addition of the two plasma cannons that were put into the drone slings, and the switch that easily converts the cloak into a shield. None of the Jumpers on the city have a hyperdrive,"_ Plato replied.

"Can any of the Vultures cloak?" Steven asked.

"_No, but that is the better option. Giving a Gate Ship a hyperdrive would take some time. However, because the Vultures already have a shield grid, converting one's shield into a cloak would be as simple as interfacing a Gate Ship's cloaking module into the field as you have proven possible by cloaking _Atlantis_ in the past,"_ Plato explained.

"Then we've got a way to get our Intel. We'll carry the Vulture into range of its hyperdrive then have it jump to the edge of the system, cloak, and make orbit of Asuras," Steven said matter-of-factly.

"What about the Wraith?" Elizabeth asked as the two AIs 'left,' their avatars flickering out.

"We're still looking for Todd's base of operations and countering their movements as best we can. Once they're done taking on drones, the _Gaia_'s headed off to a world being targeted by three Hives. The rest of them are still out there searching and fighting. Once she's repaired, the _Flinching_ will join them. Until then, I'll get the Vulture ready and we'll go from there. If you'll excuse me, I have work to do," Steven said politely.

"Of course," Elizabeth replied with a nod.

She stood to leave and made it to the door before Caldwell added, "And, Elizabeth. Thank you for the advice."

"Not a problem, General," Weir replied before leaving.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Uncharted Territory)***

**Desolate World (Surface)**

*Desolate City (Street-Level)*

"I don't like this place," Sieon said at a low whisper as he pulled his rifle into his hands. "It brings back too many bad memories."

"You lived through only one such war. I had to bear witness to two," Rana replied as she led the way deeper into the forest of burnt, scorched, and burning buildings. "When Castosis fell, I escaped by the skin of my teeth. Three days the fleet held. Then the Demons started landing their ground forces. Perversions of nature, abominations of life, cheap impersonations of living beings…" Rana trailed off eerily as a building in the distance surrendered to the damage inflicted upon it and crumbled to dust.

As it did, there was a thud in the air and Rheataela decelerated from a Charge more than ten stories in the sky above them. As the dust kicked up from the building's collapse rolled over them, the Reader's body glowed as she altered gravity to ease her fall. She set down as the dust blew in and Rana held back the chocking cloud with an air-tight biotic field.

"What happened?" Sieon asked the newly arrived Furling.

She was a child barely out of her teens by Furling standards. Her being here was a tragedy. The young shouldn't have to suffer sins of their elders. It had been Sieon's solemn duty to destroy the Demons. He had failed, and now his people were barely left living.

"Miss-stepped," the girl replied irately. "I should've been more careful."

"Indeed you should," Rana noted as she started walking again.

"She wasn't always so cold," Sieon said in a distracted tone. "She was a warm-hearted woman once. Even after the Fall, she had hope. Now… I barely recognize her anymore."

"Then remind her who she is," Rheataela suggested as she followed after Rana.

"I'm not even sure I remember who **I** am anymore," Sieon added as the duo walked out of earshot.

He stared after them for a moment, then looked down a side alley. He couldn't say why, but he needed to go that way. His feet started moving even as he questioned the logic of it. He just walked. Away from his mate, away from his people, and towards… he didn't even know what it was he was after.

***Pegasus Galaxy (UEG-Claimed Territory)***

**New-New Lantea (Surface)**

*_UEG Atlantis_ (Control Room)*

"That just doesn't make sense!" Sheppard exclaimed. "Why the hell are the Wraith in orbit of Asuras and **not** being blown to hell!?"

"_The answer I have for you is shocking, frightening, and worrisome all at once,"_ Deniece replied in a professional manner as her avatar stood at parade rest.

On the screen before them, sensors readings were being piped in from the _Daedalus_ which, in turn, was receiving the information from the Vulture in orbit of Asuras. What it displayed was two Hives and their escorts exiting hyperspace before taking up orbit of Asuras where another sixteen Hiveships were waiting with their escorts, and no less than seven Hives were landed on the planet.

"Don't tell me," McKay groaned.

"_The Wraith have gained access to the Asuran Core. They __**own**__ the Asurans now,"_ Deniece said regardless of McKay's protestations.

"I said don't tell me!" McKay exclaimed in a tone of absolute horror. "I always knew Todd was smart, but this? This is bad, Elizabeth! Those Hives are there for a reason, and I'd bet money that reason is upgrades!"

"The Wraith are using the Asurans to upgrade their ships?" Weir asked disbelievingly.

"_Upgrade their ships, increase the size of their forces, hunt us down, abduct Human populations…"_ Caldwell trialed off with a shake of his head. _"They found the one force multiplier in this galaxy that could help either side of the war, and they got to them before we could."_

"So getting to the Core…?" Sheppard half-asked.

"Out of the question," McKay replied irately. "Todd's bound to have it on lockdown to keep the Asurans from being rewritten. The Wraith now have their own army of perfectly expendable, hard to kill robotic soldiers, access to an unlimited amount of Ancient tech, and servants that both can and will upgrade their Hives. We are so screwed!"

"This is all because you said that life in Pegasus would be easy!" Sheppard accused.

"No, it's because Caldwell went off and challenged Todd to a war!" McKay countered. "Once again, the military is screwing us over!"

"_That's enough!"_ Caldwell said sternly and McKay, who is usually not easy to shut up, stopped talking immediately. _"This complicates things, I'll admit, but it's not the end of the world. Now we know what our enemies are capable of…"_

"With all due respect, General, that's bound to change any moment now. If those Hives are upgraded, they could end up with shields, or drones of their own! We have to stop them before it's too late!" Sheppard interrupted.

"Look, you all know I'm never the type to say, 'Nuke it,' but the Wraith are tough enough to take out when it's just their numbers making them hard to kill. If they get Ancient tech on their ships… We need to launch an all-out assault on Asuras before those Hives are finished," McKay finished.

"_We can't. The PWARW isn't ready yet,"_ Caldwell countered.

"FORGET ABOUT THE REPLICATORS, WE NEED TO STOP THE **WRAITH**!" McKay shouted in a panic. "Do you have any idea how bad this is for us?! If the Wraith go intergalactic, they'll forget about _Atlantis_ and target Earth. When Earth proves to be too tough a nut to crack, they'll become the new Ori. They'll dominate the Jaffa, and, Jaffa having more life energy than we do, the Wraith will be able to feed off of them longer. We're looking at the extinction of all life in the Pegasus Galaxy and the third extragalactic invasion of the Milky Way. We need to nuke them before they can take-off, and killing the Wraith will reopen the option of hacking the Replicators! If we don't stop them before those ships take-off, We. Are. Screwed!"

"Calm down, Rodney," Chuck said from his station. "We have more than one ship this go round and those ships are worth multiple Hives. Look, the _Gaia_'s on its way back to _Atlantis_. They'll be here in a few minutes. We have…"

"_I'm sorry, did you just say the _Gaia_ is on its way to _Atlantis_?"_ Kleinman interrupted as he could be seen checking something on his terminal.

"Yes," Chuck replied as he pointed to the blip on their sensors that was broadcasting the _Gaia_'s IFF.

"_That's impossible!"_ Kleinman exclaimed. _"Even if their mission was a complete success, their engines aren't that fast!"_

"_Didn't we reassign the _Gaia_ to intercept a fleet of Cruisers?"_ Caldwell asked.

"_Indeed you did, sir,"_ Deniece replied. _"The _Gaia_ is currently inbound to a planet on the far edge of the galaxy from _Atlantis_. I have confirmation from the ship's AI that their course is both unaltered and underway. They're twenty minutes out from target."_

"_It's a trap,"_ Plato said at a low whisper. _"__It's a tra__…!"_ the AI began to shout before the ship they were tracking exited hyperspace directly over the city.

As it did, drones left the firing magazines and raced down towards the city. Plato had begun raising the shield the moment he realized it was a trap, but _Atlantis_ was a large object to envelope. Three drones slipped through the gap in the top of the shield as the barrier rose to surround the city. As they did, one of them dove into the top of the Control Tower then detonated its payload. The second targeted the ZPM room and slammed into the shield protecting the vital part of the city. The last one targeted the Control Chair and dug into the armor surrounding that area before losing its energy. Alarms blared throughout the city as fire-suppressants rained down from the ceiling and the shield finished raising.

"Chuck!?" Weir called over the noise.

"We've taken a direct hit!" the technician replied as he worked his controls frantically. "The upper Jumper Bay is gone with all twenty of the Jumpers in the bay at the time. The explosion was amplified by their own drones detonating and the upper five stories of the Control Tower are now rubble in the water. The shield around the ZPM room held, but the Control Chair's another matter. The drone slipped through a micro-fissure in the secondary shield and… crap! We lost the AI Core. Plato is gone and there's rubble blocking access to the Chair. We need one or the other to get the city's systems back up!"

"And the shield?"

"The city's shield was designed to hold in a breathable atmosphere during a hyperspace jump," McKay replied. "Micro-fissures in _Atlantis_' shield would render space-trips impossible. There's absolutely no way in hell they'll be able to slip a drone past the shield, and drones aren't anywhere near powerful enough to take down the shield after everything we did to upgrade the city. We're safe… for now."

"For now?" Sheppard asked.

"When it rains…" McKay began.

"Inbound enemy reinforcements!" Amelia announced.

"You get the picture," McKay finished while working at his station. "We need to get the stardrive back online and get the hell out of here!"

"I'll head down to the Chair and help them clear the rubble," Sheppard said as sparks flew from a terminal overhead.

"We need you to do it, not tell us about it!" McKay snapped angrily. "The fires in the upper level and the damage to the tower are…" he paused to flinch away from another shower of sparks. "We need to get those fires out, but the suppressant systems in those areas were destroyed by the explosion that created the fires. The only way to put it out now is to expose the flame to a vacuum, but that means both an operational stardrive, and exposing us all to space flight without a shield!"

"Doctor Weir, the military personnel are mobilizing. Both the _Two for Flinching_ and our full complement of Vultures are launching!" Chuck announced.

"What?" Weir asked as she looked at the cracked, half-working screen that showed the local area around _Atlantis_.

In response to her question, the Flying Fortresses and badly wounded Battlecruiser turned their weapons to the sky and opened fire with a hail of return fire. The twenty massive gunships they had hovered just within the city's shield while the 304 B hovered over the pier it was being repaired in and let loose with what limited weapons they had that were still operational. The Vultures were more heavily armed than an Al'kesh and could, in theory, take on a Ha'tak, sure, but three _Aurora_-class Ancient warships, six Ancient Cruisers, and a dozen of those smaller ships? It was something, but it was far from enough. Even the _Flinching_'s guns weren't doing much against those numbers and that much firepower.

"We need our weapons, engines, and navigation more than anything else. Focus on those!" McKay ordered the frantically working technicians.

Tapping her ear as the changes made to the city ran through her mind and a plan formed in her head, Weir asked, "Major Reynolds, is your DHD still operational?"

"_Yes ma'am. What's the plan?"_ Reynolds immediately replied.

"We need reinforcements and we need them now. Dial Earth and ask General Landry to send us the _Nex_," Weir ordered.

"_We're on it ma'am,"_ Reynolds said before Weir went back to focusing on the situation in the Control Room.

In her mind, she was thanking whoever it was that designed the Gate Room with an independent power source capable of dialing intergalacticly. She also thanked the Asgard for having given them a generator capable of performing the deed.

There was a beep from somewhere in the room that somehow stood out more to Weir than it should've it. A second later, Chuck announced, "Another contact just arrived. It appeared out of nowhere… Hold on, they're attacking the Asurans!"

* * *

><p>"Are we ready for an intergalactic jump?" Sam asked as she walked into the CIC of the <em>Nex<em> and sat in her Control Chair.

"Let's just say I hope you're not planning on returning to Earth anytime soon," Widget replied as the floorboards started to shake under their feet. "Hold onto your nuts," he said with a winch as the _Nex_'s FTL drive, for the first time in several million years, drew in enough power to make an intergalactic jump. The distortion of the wormhole formed by the advanced FTL drive was as bad this time as it was the first time Sam had experienced it, and the ship shook violently as they exited on the other end. As the deck stabilized under them, Widget breathed a sigh of relief. "We're alive!" he exclaimed happily before getting serious. "Shit! I miscalculated the drift factor. We're too far into the planet's gravity well and falling like a rock. BRACE FOR UNCONTROLLED ATMOSPHERIC ENTRY!"

"Lieutenant, bring the weapons online!" Sam ordered and her weapons officer immediately obliged as the _Nex_ dropped like a stone into the skies over New-New Lantea. As they fell, Kimberly fired their vertical lift thrusters and managed to stabilize their flight until they were approaching _Atlantis_ at a more reasonable speed and angle.

The _Nex_'s opening move was both of its coaxial ion cannons firing into the broadside of one of the _Auroras_. The two hyperaccelerated ion rounds traveled from the rear of the _Nex_, all the way down the ten-kilometer acceleration chamber, and exited the nose with enough force to shattered the targeted ship on impact. The rounds, literally, hit with enough force that its target broke apart like a glass vase dropped from a twenty-story building. Then the massive ship turned its nose towards another ship and fired a brief pulse from one of its Grodins. The beam lasted for four seconds before punching through the second _Aurora_, the ship falling from the sky aflame.

The Asuran ships immediately turned their attention towards the monster bearing down on them and let loose. As they did, a burst of white light deposited a some-how familiar figure into the halls of the city below.

* * *

><p>"Colonel Sheppard? My name is Wid'getchro'monsure, and I'll be saving your ass today," the new comer said as his body began to glow. "This is the part where you back up," he said in warning. Once everyone was clear, the alien held its three-fingered hand forward and a field of energy washed over the debris. Before their very eyes, the sturdy material of <em>Atlantis<em>' exterior hull plating, which had been blown into the interior hallways, started to evaporate like ice on a stove.

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm working on clearing the rubble, but this armor wasn't exactly designed to be easy to get through. It'll take me a minute or two,"<em> Widget informed Sam as she sat in the Control Chair.

"Not a problem," Sam replied casually. "Ready the DMEB."

"Aye, ma'am. DMEB is charging," Lieutenant Cody, the tactical officer, replied as more and more drones impacted the _Nex_'s shield.

"_I'm just going to assume you haven't realized this on your own, so here goes,"_ Widget said as he purposefully stood in front of Sam to get her attention. _"Our shield, unlike theirs, wasn't designed to hold in an atmosphere. As such, drones __**will**__ find the micro-fissures in the barrier and they will…"_ Widget began before there was an explosion towards the rear of the ship. With an annoyed sigh, Widget finished. _"That."_

"What was that?" Sam asked as she rubbed her hip where it felt like the bone had suddenly snapped.

"_That was the ship taking more damage than it can handle. We need to either wrap this up, or flee. Either way, they're slipping more and more drones past the shield now that they've found the micro-fissures. I'm adjusting the shield composition as much as I can to keep them guessing, but these drones are being piloted by AIs that are nearly as smart as I am,"_ Widget explained. When Sam felt a very sharp pain in her foot that had her doubled over in pain with tears coming out of her eyes, Widget said, _"And there goes starboard anti-proton thruster nine."_

* * *

><p>"That's it! We're back up and running!" McKay shouted over the noise of the battle raging above them, which was to say the sound of chunks of Asuran ships being blasted off of the hostiles above them to fall onto the city's shield.<p>

Chuck placed his hands flat on the control panel before him, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and connected with the city in a way that was easy for Sheppard but hard for him because his gene was significantly weaker. On the other side of the Control Room, McKay did the same. A second later, the city was rumbling.

"I've got the dampeners," Chuck said as the vibrations lessened.

"_I'll take us out,"_ Sheppard added.

"I've got navigation. Just punch the engines!" McKay finished as the three of them joined their minds together over the city's neural network.

"_The _Nex_ lost its FTL drive jumping between galaxies before it was ready to handle the stresses of an intergalactic jump and sticking around won't be pretty for us,"_ Carter informed them as the city began to rise above the waters of New-New Lantea, the _Nex_ forcing the Asurans back and clearing their airspace so they wouldn't have to ram their way through the assaulting forces.

"We'll need everything the generators have if we're going to do this," Chuck said.

"Good thing the ZPMs are still fully charged then, isn't it?" McKay replied smugly as _Atlantis_ pushed through the atmosphere and broke orbit. "Just keep up and make sure your dampeners are ready. This might get a bit rough without a proper calibration."

As the city broke free of the planet's gravity well, the _Nex_ flew up under them and came within a few dozen meters of its nose touching the city's engines. Then, with a pulse of energy that caused the lights to flicker across the city, _Atlantis_ opened a hyperspace window large enough to pull the city's impressive bulk through hyperspace with the _Nex_ tagging along for the ride.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Uncharted Territory)***

**Desolate World (Surface)**

*Desolate City (Street-Level)*

Sieon stood before the broken form of a Demon and had to admit that some part of him was in awe. This was uncharted territory in the Milky Way Galaxy, yes, but most of the planets they had come across before this one suffered because of that. They were technologically unevolved, but the people of this world? They had killed a Demon. A Lesser Demon, yes, but that was still impressive.

Reaching out with his mind and feeling for the presence of his mate, Sieon found Rana amongst the ruins. _'You said to find something not of this universe. I have found it.'_

It didn't take the others long to find him. The twenty they had sent down to the planet all gathered before the fallen form of the dead Demon and there was an animosity shared amongst them at the very sight of the thing. Then its eye opened.

There was the sound of a foghorn as the Demon's armor casing opened to allow the 'eye' that doubled as a weapon to see them.

**DESIGNATION FURLING, YOU LIVE.**

The Demon said, its tone, if were to have tones, disappointed.

"It will take more than the likes of you to destroy us," Wy'H'ofacion assured the organic machine.

**RUDIMENTARY CREATURE OF BLOOD AND FLESH. YOU TOUCH MY MIND, FUMBLING IN IGNORANCE, INCAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING. THERE IS A REALM OF EXISTENCE SO FAR BEYOND THE HORIZON OF YOUR OWN COMPREHENSION THAT YOU CANNOT IMAGINE IT. ****I**** AM BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION.**

"Rudimentary?" Wy'H'ofacion asked indignantly. "Furlings are the second-most highly evolved organic species in the known universe. Only the Ancients can claim to be more evolved, but, then again, they are far from being organic these days. Do not treat me like a child, Demon. I am older than you."

**DEMON. A LABEL CREATED BY THE ONES CALLED 'FURLINGS' TO GIVE VOICE TO THEIR DESTRUCTION. IN THE END, WHAT YOU CHOSE TO CALL US IS IRRELEVANT. WE SIMPLY ****ARE****.**

'_Did it just contradict itself?'_ one of the younger ones asked. _'It mentions Furlings as if we aren't them, yet it called us Furlings not long ago.'_

'_He is correct. This one's mind is damaged,'_ Wy'H'ofacion noted.

"Everyone has a beginning," Sieon countered in a questioning tone. He knew they'd never get direct answers from interrogating a Demon, but what they said could be interpreted for the truth hidden in the lies. People who fancy themselves Gods always have a weakness for monologs it seemed.

**WE HAVE NO BEGINNING. WE HAVE NO END. WE ARE INFINITE. MILLIONS OF YEARS AFTER YOUR CIVILIZATION HAS BEEN ERADICATED AND FORGOTTEN, WE WILL ENDURE. ORGANIC LIFE IS NOTHING BUT A GENETIC MUTATION, AN ACCIDENT. YOUR LIVES ARE MEASURED IN YEARS AND DECADES. YOU WITHER AND DIE. WE ARE ETERNAL, THE PINNACLE OF EVOLUTION AND EXISTENCE. BEFORE US, YOU ARE NOTHING. YOUR EXTINCTION IS INEVITABLE. WE ARE THE END OF EVERYTHING.**

"Measured in years and decades?" Rana huffed. "Ha! I have lived longer than most every species native to this universe and you say I will wither and die? The mere notion is laughable."

"Indeed," Wy'H'ofacion agreed. "You claim to be the end of everything, yet you have tried twice now to be rid of my people and we stand in defiance of you. Tell me, oh great and powerful 'pinnacle of evolution,' if you are a God as you so claim to be, then why do I stand here alive and well while you rot away on a world so insignificant to those who call this galaxy home that its location is absent from even the most inclusive of star charts? Tell me why, if you're the all-powerful beings you believe yourselves to be, that you hide in the shadows like cowards. You are nothing before me, Demon. You are nothing before all of us!"

**YOUR CONFIDENCE IS BORN OF YOUR OWN IGNORANCE. THE CYCLE CANNOT BE BROKEN. THE PATTERN HAS REPEATED ITSELF MORE TIMES THAN YOU CAN FATHOM. ORGANIC CIVILIZATIONS RISE, EVOLVE, ADVANCE, AND, AT THE APEX OF THEIR GLORY, THEY ARE EXTINGUISHED. THE FURLINGS WERE NOT THE FIRST, NOR WILL THEY BE THE LAST. WE IMPOSE ORDER ON THE CHAOS OF ORGANIC LIFE. YOU EXIST BECAUSE WE ALLOW IT, AND YOU WILL END BECAUSE WE DEMAND IT.**

"So you continue to say, and yet we continue to live. Imagine that. Organics that predate the AI species that claims to be the ones responsible for the creation of all life," Rana sneered. "You are not God, Demon. You are a machine that was created by an organic to perform a purpose. Now you have clearly run rampant and lost your way. Worry not, Lesser Demon. I will end your suffering soon enough, but first, you will tell me why."

**MY KIND TRANSCENDS YOUR VERY UNDERSTANDING. WE ARE EACH A NATION; INDEPENDENT, FREE OF ALL WEAKNESS. WE ARE LEGION.**

"DO NOT TREAT ME LIKE A CHILD!" Rana roared up to the machine. "I have served as the mother to an entire race of AIs that are each as powerful as your so-called nation! I have birthed a new species into existence that has the power to combat you on an even footing, and you dare to claim that you transcend my very understanding?! I am Rana! I have created VIs older and smarter than you, Demon!"

The machine was quiet then. Its eye narrowed and focused its red light onto Rana. Only then did it speak.

**YOU ARE RANA SYNIPULOUS, MATE TO SIEON SYNIPULOUS. YOU ARE THE GAAJLI. YOU ARE KNOWN TO US. THE FATHER HAS ORDERED YOUR CAPTURE.**

As the Demon spoke, an inhuman howl filled the air as the denizens of this world, perverted in death to mimic life, rose from their places amongst the rubble. They lurched towards the Furlings with stumbling steps, their every action an affront to organic life everywhere. They reached out towards the assembled Furlings, and fire danced on their fingers, biotics flared from their skin, and the ground shook in their wake. These were not the same creatures that had attacked the Tok'ra. These were an improved variant.

**THE TIME OF OUR RETURN IS NEIGH UPON YOU, FURLINGS. OUR NUMBERS WILL DARKEN THE SKY OF YOUR EVERY WORLD. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE YOUR DOOM. THIS TIME, THE HARBINGER WILL ADDRESS THINGS… ****PERSONALLY.**

If the machine was capable of expressing emotion, his last word would've been an evil cackle.

Then a new voice sounded across the planet.

"**I am assuming direct control,"** the voice of a Demon said from the body of one of the non-Humans as its eyes flared with a brilliant golden light. **"I address you now personally, Furling,"** the Host said. **"Surrender, and I will make your passing easier. Persist in your attempts to defy the Father's will, and I will make your end slow and full of suffering."**

"I **will** stop you. On that, you have my word!" Sieon snarled at the non-Human with glowing eyes.

**"Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction,"** the Host continued as it raised its hands and the sky darkened as its biotic aura flared to life. **"Continued resistance will only result in your annihilation. Stand down or be destroyed."**

"I'm going to **enjoy** killing you," Sieon replied before he Charged at the Host.

Much to the surprise of all the Furlings present, with one hand, the Host grabbed Sieon by the throat at the end of his Charge and held him aloft. **"Your resistance, while futile and mildly annoying,"** the Host said as it took a deep breath in through its nose as if enjoying the smells that surrounded them, **"does give me such pleasure! Not even your raw biotic might can hold a candle to the flame that is my existence, organic. Unlike the Lesser over there, I am older than your much beloved Konahrik!"**

With a pulse of biotic energy, the Host slammed Sieon into the ground at its feet with enough force to break through his Barrier, armor, and bones all in one hit. That done, the Host turned its glowing eyes towards Rana and declared, **"You will be ****mine****!"** before Charging at her with its hands held out like claws.

***Pegasus Galaxy (UEG-Claimed Territory)***

**New-New-New Lantea (Orbit)**

*_UEG Atlantis_ (External Balcony)*

Weir had been at the Battle for Earth. She'd seen the _Nex_ then. She'd walked the halls and ridden the internal train network when she was on Earth waiting for _Atlantis_' relaunch. Even then, she'd never seen the ship close enough to _Atlantis_ to get an accurate size comparison. _Atlantis_ was the largest ship she'd ever seen, but it was a city so that was to be expected. When they first moved to _Atlantis_ all those years ago, McKay had said that searching the city for a ZPM would be like searching every room on Manhattan Island. That island has an area of eighty-seven-point-four-six square kilometers stretched out over twenty-seven kilometers of land. _Atlantis_ has an area of eighty square kilometers stacked up on its five kilometer (in diameter) base. The _Nex_?

It was ten kilometers across its primary axis which put it as twice the size of _Atlantis_'s primary axis, one kilometer shorter than a Wraith Hiveship, more than twice the size of an _Aurora_, and all of it devoted from the ground up to be a war machine. _Atlantis_ had been upgraded to defend itself, sure, but the _Nex_ was designed to crush its enemies with overwhelming firepower. Still, the ship was only roughly seven-hundred meters at its 'tallest' point and _Atlantis_' control tower, before it was partially destroyed, stood at over a kilometer in height. Weir would put money down on a bet that the interior room and living space of the ship, which had five massive spheres devoted to either power production or the CIC and AI server banks, was still less than what _Atlantis_ had to offer.

Her train of thought was broken when a small puff of green appeared off to one side of their location in orbit of the seemingly random planet McKay had taken them to and the _Daedalus_ exited hyperspace to join them in orbit of New-New-New Lantea. Weir sighed at that. They'd been attacked, damaged, gotten the _Nex_ stranded in Pegasus, and now there was the name of their new world.

She walked back into the tower proper, stepped into the transporter, and made her way to the Control Room just as Caldwell was beaming in. "Any causalities?" the General asked.

"You're missing five stories of a building…" Widget began before Sam stomped on the alien's foot hard enough to break a Human's toe. "Shutting up," Widget hissed through the pain.

"It could've been worse," General Carter replied, her words causing Caldwell to snap off a salute as he realized she was present. "We're the same rank, Steven, you don't have to salute me," Sam said as she flicked her hand at a screen that immediately lit up with a display. Weir raised an eyebrow at that. "The FTA gene has its benefits," Sam said in explanation before beginning her explanation. "The Asurans were obviously targeting the Control Room, ZPM room, and Control Chair. If not for the decision to move the Control Room and to add secondary shields over the more vital areas, you would've lost full control of the city, the ZPMs, and the command structure of the city. As it is, you lost twenty Jumpers, several dozen hours of labor repairing the damages… and the harsher side of forty people."

Caldwell had to take a deep breath to keep from shouting. This was no one's fault, he knew that, but that many people dead? It warranted the release of tension, most often delivered in the form of screaming. "Okay," Caldwell said once he was sure his voice was under his control. "Here's what's going to happen. We're going to use the flash-forges to get the tower fixed, obviously. We're also going to have a candlelight vigil or whatever it is you want to do to mourn the dead. We're going to help you get the _Nex_'s FTL drive working again, but, first, we're going to move _Atlantis_. For the sake of the safety of this city and its inhabitants, we're going to hide _Atlantis_ in Dead Space."

"Steven…" Weir began before Caldwell stopped her with a raised hand.

"I know that only a few of us here want to live in space their whole lives, believe me, I get it," Caldwell continued, his voice low, tone calm, and words coming out slower for clarity and control, "but my first priority is the safety of this expedition. _Atlantis_, as a ship, falls under the command of the UNSC Space Forces according to the UNSC Charter. As such, I am ordering this ship to be placed in a strategic location away from all hostile parties. Doctor McKay, can you get the Gate to work while we're in Dead Space?"

"As long as we're not moving, yes," McKay replied. "That's how we were able to use a Stargate in orbit of a black hole during the Pegasus Project, or the creation of the Intergalactic Gate Bridge that ended up being rendered useless when the _Odyssey_ got back from Ida."

"Okay, then find me a location in Dead Space where we'll be out of the view of prying eyes and figure out what the Gate address would be. Once we have that, forward the address to the SGC and get us moving. Doctor Weir, I'd like to speak with you in your office. General Carter, if you would accompany us."

The trio, which was actually a quintet, walked into Weir's office and Caldwell turned to the extra two. "Why does this one have a body?" he asked Sam, his mask of calm slipping slightly.

"'This one' both has a name, and is capable of speaking for itself," Widget shot back with arms crossed over his chest. "To answer your question, I have a body because, unlike the other AIs in your fleet, I was programmed from the ground up to think of myself as being an organic."

"The actual story is that Widget took something I said out of context and it allowed him to make a body," Sam corrected.

"What did you say?" Sheppard, the last person to join them, asked curiously.

"I told him to grow a pair because he was acting like a child," Sam replied before adding, "On to business," in an all-business tone. "The problem with the FTL drive is that we overtaxed it. The _Nex_ hasn't left the Milky Way in a couple million years, and the FTL drive had only been used in a combat situation in recent times. We had to conduct major repairs to the drive after the Battle for Earth, but those repairs were more like patches than they were anything else. As such, the FTL drive suffered a couple of concerning overloads, the hull is damaged in a few places, and we lost a sublight engine. Don't worry about us, the bulk of our problems are repairs that'll take a few days to fix and then we'll be on our way. The city, however…" Sam trailed off.

"How bad is the damage, really?" Caldwell asked.

"Well, you really did lose five stories of an inhabited building. While the loss of lives is pressing, the damage to the city is mostly superficial. You lost the Jumper Bay and the twenty Jumpers docked in it at the time. Aside from that, there's a hole in the tower near the Control Chair where the AI Core used to be. You actually got off kind of easy, and Landry sending **us** here does open the option of replacing Plato rather easily. The _Nex_ has a few spare AI-compatible crystal orbs. If we use the scan of Doctor Weir's mind used to make Plato the first time, I can replace the AI without any notable differences. He'll go by the same name, talk the same, act the same… essentially you won't be able to tell the difference," Widget replied.

"I can't believe this happened," Sheppard said with a shake of his head.

"We're lucky you were still around," Weir added. "SGA-1 was supposed to go on a mission when Caldwell called in with the news about the Wraith on Asuras. One minute later, and you wouldn't have been there to fly the city."

"McKay would've managed. Just, you know, don't tell him I said that. His ego's big enough as it is."

Caldwell sighed wearily. "We're going to have to find replacements for the people we lost, but what gets me worried is that you said they were flying under the _Gaia_'s IFF."

"Plato couldn't even tell the difference," Weir said with a shake of her head. "He was sure it was the _Gaia_ right up until they dropped out of hyperspace, but he did manage to get the shield up before he died. If he hadn't of… we would've lost a lot more people."

"So the Asurans have figured out your IFF?" Widget mused with a nod of his head. "Not all that surprising to be honest. You broadcast your IFFs no matter where you are. A few engagements with a hostile power like the Asurans and they're bound to copy the signal they've noticed you're always broadcasting. After that, Todd told them what it was for and you've got yourself a fleet of ships flying under the _Gaia_'s IFF. Not only will you have to get new IFFs, you'll have to encode them better, and only broadcast them when you're approaching friendly space."

"The Jaffa did something similar," Sam added. "When they were trying to expand their fleet and get more followers, they would use standard greetings, their version of an IFF, to get the target Ha'tak to lower their shields then they'd ring over an assault team. That stopped when the Replicators showed up and started attacking anything in sight."

"So our IFFs are compromised, _Atlantis_ is damaged, we've lost people, the _Nex_ is stranded in Pegasus without a viable form of FTL, the Wraith have hacked the Asurans, the Asurans are both mobilizing in force **and** upgrading the Wraith fleet, and this is all because of the Wraith you named Todd," Caldwell said with a shake of his head. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."

"Get in line," Sheppard added with a glare that wasn't directed at anyone in the room.

There was a knock at the door before Widget blinked and the door unlocked. McKay stepped in and said, "We're ready to go, but Chuck has a point in that we shouldn't leave the _Nex_ here."

"Send our destination to the fleet over an encrypted channel that the Asurans won't be able to hack," Caldwell ordered.

"Yeah… I… can't… do that," McKay begrudgingly admitted. "The Asurans are programmed with Ancient code, _Atlantis_ broadcasts in Ancient code by default, the Asurans are sure to know Asgard code well enough hack a communique going to multi ends of the galaxy at once, and Plato's gone so he can't change it on the fly."

"It's alright, I can do it," Widget assured them. "Plato was just a dumbed-down version of me anyway."

"_Atlantis_' databanks are as large as the _Nex_'s," Sam countered.

"And even then, Plato was only a fraction of me," Widget replied. "It's like saying that one part of your brain is smarter than the whole brain just because it has certain information stored there. The whole brain, which is me, is always smarter than the pieces, which are the other AIs."

"Just send the message," Caldwell ordered while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, sir," Widget replied in a more serious tone before following behind McKay.

Weir shook her head while sighing deeply. "Welcome to the other side of sanity," she mumbled to herself.

"Here, here!" Sheppard agreed with a sad shake of his own head, the two Generals present agreeing reluctantly.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Uncharted Territory)***

**Dead Space**

*_FGN Isai_ (Medical Lab)*

"What do we know?" Wy'H'ofacion asked, his words distorted to the ears of the one lying in the bed slowly regaining his wits.

"The red ones both control and are immune to fire," Rheataela replied. "They explode if they get close enough to you, and throw fireballs at you if you try to engage them at range."

"The blue ones both control and are immune to electricity," Izotiusk added as she continued to heal Sieon's wounds. "They fire bolts of lightning at you from range and emit area-of-affect electrical pulses at close range, or simply maul you into the ground."

"The ones that glow are powerful biotics in their own right. They are not easily defeated," Vordir piped in from his place administering treatment to the lesser wounded amongst them.

"The brown ones can move the Earth without biotic energy and are physically stronger than we are," one of the Furlings Sieon didn't know by name added. "The grey ones are very maneuverable, and believe the wind answers their call."

"And the ones with glowing eyes are the Hosts to a partial amount of a Greater Demon's power," Sieon finished through a groan.

"Rest," Izotiusk demanded. "You are far from well."

"Where is Rana?" Sieon asked.

He received no reply.

"Where is Rana?" he asked again.

Finally, Wy'H'ofacion spoke. "She is with us no longer."

"What happened?" Sieon asked, his tone raw.

"The Greater Demon the Lesser Demon referred to as the Harbinger has taken her. She fought well, though she did not win. We failed to prevent her capture. I am sorry, Sieon, but she has been taken by the Demons," Wy'H'ofacion explained solemnly.

"Where?" Sieon demanded to know.

A spark of light erupted into a person and the ship's AI replied in place of the others. _"I traced the Demon which took her to a location near the galactic edge. Once there, a radiation signature and energy spike comparable to the one recorded upon our arrival here was detected."_

"She has been taken back to the universe which birthed our species," Wy'H'ofacion clarified.

"Then it is time for the Furlings to return home," Sieon said darkly.


	39. Another Tortured Soul

Chapter 38

Another Tortured Soul

***Pegasus Galaxy (UEG-Claimed Territory)***

**Black Hole (Orbit)**

*_UEG Atlantis_ (East Pier Balcony)*

"Beautiful, is it not?" Teyla asked as she walked up behind Weir who was staring out at the black hole they now orbited, the fleet surrounding the city as Caldwell had the ships recalled.

"Frightening, actually," Weir replied without turning away. "I never thought that living in orbit of an all-powerful gravimetric singularity capable of crushing anything caught in its field, even light, would be safer than living on Lantea."

"Things have indeed gotten out of hand," Teyla agreed. As another hyperspace window opened to deposit the _Gaia_ back into regular space, Teyla made a noise of surprise.

"What is it?" Weir asked as she finally turned to meet Teyla's eyes.

"I always misjudged the size of _Atlantis_," Teyla replied. "Being a city, I thought it the largest ship ever created. I know John has always thrown around numbers like eleven… kilometers, I believe you call them, but it never meant anything to me. Looking at the ships in your fleet, I think I'm finally starting to understand. The _Gaia_ is nearly the size of the city, but the _Nex_ is larger than _Atlantis_ while still being smaller than a Hive. To think that the Wraith ships are bigger than _Atlantis_… it puts things into perspective."

"That's one thing I never did ask you," Weir said with a nod. "What did you think of Earth?"

Teyla shook her head in awe in reply to that question. "I've never seen so many people in one place. There are cities on Earth with larger populations than entire planets in Pegasus. I can see why the Wraith so strongly desired to reach Earth, but I can also see how foolish they were to think they could conquer your people. Even if your entire defense network failed, your people are… very much like the Setedans. I believe every Human on Earth would die fighting before the Wraith managed to capture a meaningful portion of your population to use as a food source. To be honest, your people scare me."

"You're not the only one," Weir sighed. "The UNSC is growing faster than any military power in the history of the Milky Way Galaxy. I just hope that, when we're done struggling to get rid of the Goa'uld and the Wraith and peace is a viable option, they'll be willing and able to stop fighting. I'd hate to live to see the day when Earth became the new Goa'uld Empire."

Teyla shook her head. "I don't think you have it in you. If the military of Earth decided they wanted to conquer the galaxy, there'd be a… civil war, I believe you call it. The military itself would be split into multiple factions. Those who want war, those who want peace, and those who want to break away from Earth to avoid the conflict that will follow. The people will take sides as well, and what is left of your people when the war ends will be the same, good-hearted people that exist now."

"You have more faith in my people than I do," Weir scuffed.

"That is because I see them from the view of a third-party observer. I can see what you cannot," Teyla said reassuringly.

Weir smiled at her, a silent 'thanks' for the kind words, then turned back to the black hole. The accretion disk was full of material captured in the tiny center of the black hole. The super-heated matter being pulled in by enough gravity to destroy _Atlantis_ was a beautiful swirl of reds and blues and purples. Her musings were interrupted by a beep in her ear.

"_Doctor Weir, General Caldwell's requesting you attend the war summit,"_ Chuck informed her.

"I'll be there in two minutes," Weir replied. She then took a deep breath and steeled herself. This is one meeting she wished she could stay home sick from.

*_UEG Atlantis_ (War Room)*

The 'War Room' was essentially just a copy of the Conference Room only it was located in Caldwell's publically-acclaimed 'Military Command Tower.' The biggest difference between the two rooms was that this one had access to restricted military technologies that were set up around the room to display gathered Intel. _Atlantis_' sensors were the most advanced known model in the galaxy before the Post-Fifth Race upgrades. Now, there was a scaled down version that had been altered with improved targeting algorithms on their ships. As such, the Vulture that had been in orbit of Asuras had scanned the planet with the same level of clarity that _Atlantis_' could've had the city been sent to perform the task. That was the level of technology the UNSC was dealing with now.

Weir took her seat at the end of the table opposite Caldwell as the other members of the _Atlantis_ Expedition's military attachment familiarized themselves with the data available to them, which only showed the forces the Asurans had built over the past year and left out the reason this meeting was being held in orbit of a black hole. Because the thought of scanning a planet with enough accuracy to locate one DNA strand amongst millions wasn't enough, the scans taken by the Vulture had even gone as far as mapping out the Asuran power grid, their mines, refinement facilities, and shipyards. The amount of Intel gathered by a single ship the size of a Goa'uld mid-ranged bomber was staggering.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Caldwell began as he took his seat at the head of the table and motioned the others to do the same. "As you all know, we find ourselves in the delicate position of being on the losing end of our war with the Wraith. What you don't know is the severity of our desperation. In an attempt to bolster their numbers and upgrade their forces, the Wraith have hacked the Asuran Collective."

The room was instantly silent.

Finally someone dared to speak. The CO of the _Gaia_ stood to his feet, an unsteady wavering to his aged stance, but a fire in eyes nonetheless. When he spoke, he did so in his native tongue, which was also the only language the man knew. As such, there was a split-second delay after the Admiral began speaking and the translators around the room allowed each person present to hear his words in the language of their choosing.

"The Japanese have two sayings I wish to share with you," the Admiral began. "Fall seven times, stand up eight. We have fallen, yes, but we are still alive. We still have both the will and the ability to fight, so we will do just that. Even if we have lost this battle, we are far from having lost the war. The second saying of my people I wish to share follows thusly. Had the pheasant not screamed, it would not have been shot!" the Admiral declared, his words punctuated by his fist slamming into the table.

"The Wraith have made a mistake! They underestimated us, and have shown their hand too soon. We now have an advantage the likes of which we previously lacked. Before, it was the Wraith and the Asurans, though we knew it not, that were hunting us while we hunted the Wraith. Now, we are hidden safely where the Wraith cannot find us and will not think to look. Even the sensors aboard the Asuran vessels will be incapable of finding us now that the black hole masks our presence. However, we know where **both** of our greatest enemies lay their heads at night. We have the advantage of knowing where to strike. The Wraith do not.

"We are not pheasants," the Admiral stated in a tone that left no room for argument. "**We** are the hunters. Had the Wraith not decided that they wanted to feed on Humans, we would not have declared war on them. Had **we** not pushed the **Wraith** into such a state of desperation, they would not have hacked the Asurans. I disagree with you, General. I do not think we are on the losing side of this war. Out of numerous engagements, we have lost two, and both of them were lost to the Asurans, not the Wraith. **They** are the ones who are desperate, not us. **They** are the ones sitting immobile on a planet letting others do the dirty work for them, not us. **We** are the ones sitting in a mobile weapon of war that our ancestors built, then we improved with the technology of the Asgard to whom we are the heirs!

"The Wraith are a plague, nothing more. We are the Fifth Race, the **heirs to the Asgard**! We have stood against the tyranny of the Goa'uld when no others dared, and we have stood victorious upon the ashes of their dead! We, alone, stood against the Ori when all others were too weak to take them on, and crushed their armies with a drastically smaller force. The Wraith outnumber us, as they have always done, but they are far from out**classing** us! We are the Fifth Race!" the Admiral declared. "Start acting like it!

"The Asgard saw something in us that they saw in no other species. They didn't see warmongers trying to conquer everything, they saw a people working against all odds to liberate those who had no means of fighting back. We are not cowards to hide in the shadows and flee when we suffer a few difficulties! So the Wraith have found a way to upgrade their forces? I ask you this: So what? No matter what the Asurans do for them, the Wraith are still a disorganized force. They are loosely allied with one another at the best of times, and we've seen what a 'food shortage' can do to their strongest alliances.

"I ask you this, people of the Fifth Race. Are the Wraith the only ones capable of relocating planetary populations overnight? Are we incapable of taking those who are willing to do what is necessary to survive and moving them? We are the Fifth Race! We have all the collective knowledge of the Asgard, the Ancients, the Furlings, and the Tau'ri! We are far from impotent, and the Wraith are hell-bent on learning that the hard way. I say let them! If the Goa'uld Empire, which stood for more than ten-thousand years in the absence of a force willing and able to fight them, can be toppled in ten years by a technologically and numerically inferior force, than what can the UNSC do now that it has unrestricted access to Earth's industrial might and all the power of three of the Five Great Races? We are **NOT** pheasants! We. Are. The hunters!"

"Then let us hunt together!" the CO of the _Cream Puff_ declared victoriously, the assembled soldiers immediately adding their agreement to that sentiment.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Local Spur Arm)***

**P4X-650 (Orbit)**

*Alpha Site (Shipyards)*

"What's your status, Taylor?" General Ervin asked as he walked up behind the man in question. He had stopped trying to address Brandon by his rank seven months ago. It was too much to say to get one person's attention, and Brandon was far off from being angry about it. That really was a mouthful, and being the higher ranking officer had its perks.

"Final checks for the personal weapons and armor systems were performed last night," Taylor replied as he looked over the holoscreen being projected before him by the tac-pad built into his gauntlet. "We began the checks on the mobile armor and artillery pieces this morning. Estimated time to completion on them is twenty minutes. The only thing left to check is the _Ares_ herself. When are the Heavy Cruisers supposed to be here?"

"Half an hour ago," Ervin replied. "They're waiting on you, not the other way around."

"Well, the _Ares_' systems are constantly monitored by the AI, so that report's ready," Taylor said as he read over the ship's operational status. "Looks like the God of War is in as good a state as he can be, so the only thing left is the final checks on the tanks. Those can be done en route, though, so we can leave whenever you're ready, sir."

The General input a few commands into his own tac-pad to inform his Executive Officer that he was leaving then input the command to have the two of them beamed aboard the ship that sat in the slip below the observation room Ervin had found Taylor in.

Appearing on the Command Deck of the now fully crewed Invasion Carrier, General Ervin took two steps than sat in the command chair. "Open the doors," he ordered.

Above them, the massive doors slid aside to reveal the light of the sun that was shining bright over the Alpha Site. The sunlight glistened off of the hull of the ship that was no longer the largest in Earth rapidly growing fleet. As the doors opened fully, the anti-gravity fields activated and the vertical-thrust engines flared to life with a rumble and the _Ares_ smoothly lifted free of her docking clamps before flying above the rim of the mountain slope the slip was built into. As they cleared the rock, the primary forward-vectored engines came online with a roar of their own. The rock behind the Invasion Carrier heated up as the engines powered up and sent the mass of the _Ares_ gliding into the air. The nose tipped up and the power to the engines increased until the ship was pushing out of the gravity well of the planet below.

As they reached orbit, the form of two more UNSC warships greeted them. Both of them were HC-306s, but from different countries. One was the _Giovannetta_, a Heavy Cruiser built and crewed by the Italians. The other was the _Chekov_, the first ship **built** by the Russians, but the second to be **crewed** by them. The ship's namesake was the very man who had captained the _Korolev_ until its untimely demise at the hands of the Ori at the Battle of the Supergate. According to scuttlebutt, the ship's AI was even a replica of the man's persona.

'_Definitely nothing morally questionable about that,'_ Taylor thought with a sarcastic huff. He only hoped that, when he died, he wasn't forced to keep living like that. There was a reason Humans were made to be mortal.

The two Heavy Cruisers outsized the _Ares_ by fifty meters, but the _Ares_ still had the larger crew. The 304s used a crew of two-hundred. The 306s used a crew of five-hundred. The 305s, on the other hand, had a crew of two-hundred to run the ship, and carried five-thousand soldiers into battle. With the technicians and specialists onboard to maintain both the ship and her armor pieces, the total number of people that called the _Ares_ home during an operation was a staggering five-thousand, five-hundred souls. Needless to say, the Heavy Cruisers would defend them to the last before letting the ship fall, but that's why the _Ares_ never saw front-line combat.

"Sir, the _Giovannetta_ and _Chekov_ have formed on our flanks," the helmsman reported.

"Take us into hyperspace," the General ordered. Before them, the swirling vortex of hyperspace consumed the viewports as the three ship entered a single, massive hyperspace window, their collective power output and hyperdrives making for a faster speed for three ships traveling together as opposed to each ship arriving at the target world separately. "ETA?"

"Two hours, thirty-six minutes," the helmsman replied.

"Taylor?" Ervin asked without asking.

"The Ground Forces will be ready within the hour, sir," Brandon replied with a crisp salute.

"Good," Ervin said with a nod before dismissing the man back to his task of readying their tanks.

Their target today would suffer a fate far worse than Ptah's forces had. With the initial design of their armor and railguns, and only three-hundred soldiers putting boots on the ground, the _Ares_ had conquered a force of five-thousand of the best trained Jaffa in the galaxy. Now, with five-thousand men and women wearing an improved version of that same armor and wielding various redesigns of Ptah's plasma rifles as their primary weapons, the _Ares_ would take one of Ba'al's worlds. The world in question had roughly fifteen-thousand Jaffa defending it with clunky, plasma-firing staff weapons. Add to that the five-thousand Kull Warriors with advanced armor and weapons of their own, and their victory world be hard fought.

Ba'al had the advantage of knowing the terrain, but only one of Ba'al's clones had witnessed the power the Tau'ri could bring to bear, and that clone was dead. Burnt alive by a biotic flame born of the wrath of what used to be his best assassin from what the General had heard. Now Ba'al would taste a new kind of defeat, and this time Earth would conquer their foe without the help of another species. The Impolans wouldn't be needed this time. This victory would be Earth's, and Earth alone would reap the benefits of capturing Karia.

***Pegasus Galaxy (UEG-Claimed Territory)***

**Black Hole (Orbit)**

*_UNSC Paciscor of Nex_ (FTL Core)*

"That old red dirt the first thing you learn; you don't get nothing that you don't earn. Humble pride that I grew up on, you find out just how bad you want it. Sun in our eyes, backs to the fences, didn't know the odds were against us. Hit the wall smoking and spinning, still wasn't thinking about nothing but winning. That's the only way I know. Don't stop till everything's gone. Straight ahead never turn round. Don't back up. Don't back down. Full throttle. Wide open. You get tired you don't show it. Dig a little deeper when you think you can't dig no more. That's the only way I know."

"You've become awfully musical lately," Sam noted as she walked into the room where the impressively built form of the AI-turned-organic was buried chest-deep in the inner workings of what remained of the _Nex_'s wormhole drive.

"You would too if you spent a couple million years as an unfeeling machine trapped in a computer with no interaction with the living world only to then leave the world you were trapped on to find an entirely new culture to explore," Widget replied casually as his hand groped around for something. Noting the tool lying a few inches away from his hand, Sam kicked the wrench-like implement towards him. "Thanks," Widget's voice came at a mumble as he pulled his impressive bulk deeper into the massive machine.

'_Seriously?'_ Sam asked herself with a mental kick. _'Why is everything 'impressive' about him?'_ Shaking her head and dispelling the growing fog, Sam asked, "So what's wrong with it?"

"Seriously? You insisted that we jump the _Nex_ between galaxies, I shouted, 'WE CAN'T DO THAT!' because you wouldn't listen, then you did it anyway, I said 'Hold onto your nuts' right before we jumped, told you that we'd be stuck here for a while, and you're asking what's **wrong with it**?" Widget's muffled, though obviously angry, voice replied.

"Yes," Sam stated simply.

"There's gunk clogging up one of the…" Widget trailed off with a grunt as he pulled something loose. There was the sound of flowing solids splatting on the ground like vomit hitting the toilet and Widget made a noise of disgust. "Let's just say, the ship is long overdue for its two-thousand year tune-up and you jumped it past its limits. We're lucky to still be alive," Widget said as a grease-covered, faintly glowing object was slid towards her. "Don't touch that, it's covered in eezo dust," Widget warned with another grunt before his body started glowing darkly.

With a third grunt, his biotics flared and a fountain of black goop shot out of the top of the FTL drive to rain down around the room. "What the hell is this?" Sam asked in a disgusted tone as she flicked a small glob of black goo off of her arm. Surprisingly enough, that's all that had hit her.

"It's like oil in your car," Widget replied as he kept working. "It keeps the moving parts moving smoothly, doubles as a coolant, and even has certain chemical properties that are necessary for the drive to work properly. So it's like oil, water, and blood for the FTL drive in one package."

"So the FTL drive is **bleeding**?" Sam asked in a confused tone.

"It's already lost blood," Widget grunted in reply. "I'm… uh… repairing the artery and… giving it a blood transfusion? You know what, let's just call it an oil change. That's simpler."

"Okay… How did this happen exactly?"

"Sam, the _Nex_ is older than I am," Widget replied. "Rana conceptualized my base-code in the lab you were in the first time you boarded the ship, and the _Nex_'s AI core is the only computer I've ever lived in. The Ancients came to your galaxy over fifty-million years ago, and this ship **predates** their arrival. Add to that the three-decades the ship spent fighting the Demons and the _Nex_ is **old**! Plus, the Ori gave her hell and the FTL drive was hit more than once during the Battle for Earth. Add to that the intergalactic jump and… well, we're in pretty bad shape. Will you hand me the thing that looks like a clean version of what I just slid out there?" the AI asked, his pitch-black hand appearing, barely, out from the edge of the massive machine.

"You said it was covered in eezo dust," Sam more said than asked.

"Only after I install it and we use it. Don't touch the original, but do hand me the replacement."

Sam looked at the strange piece of the greater whole then picked up a box with an image on it that vaguely resembled the requested piece. Inside the box she found a Human-made replacement piece. "Why not use the nano-forge?" Sam asked as she unwrapped the piece that had a surprising weight to it in that its weight was… changing even as she held it. "Widget?" Sam asked in a concerned tone.

"It has a mass effect field, yes, but the eezo is safely contained inside of it. There's no risk to your health… yet. As for your other question, the FTL drive is made strictly from physical pieces that haven't been interacted with by nannites. The mechanisms are too delicate to trust to a robot," Widget replied, the grunts that interrupted his speech an indicator that he was doing… well, Sam had no clue really. "I was trying to fix this before we left the Milky Way, but then _Atlantis_ got attacked and you jump before I was ready. This has needed replacement for over twenty-six thousand years. I requested that General O'Neill have the piece flash-forged since the infrastructure of the Furling Empire is gone and I can't replace it without it, but he insisted that a company on Earth had what I needed, so I went shopping with Vala who complained incessantly that looking at tools and car parts is **not** shopping, I found a store that does custom fabrications, gave them the specifications for what I needed, forwarded the bill to Jack, picked up my part, and now I'm installing it too late to prevent a meltdown of the FTL core, but before we suffered a catastrophic overload so at least we're still alive to fix it, right?"

"That's a long sentence," Sam observed as she handed the part to Widget. "Why not just have the repair drones do this? I thought we got a shipment of energy-to-matter conversion drones from the City Factory last week?"

"No, that shipment got sent to the _Hephaestus_ when they requested more drones to speed up the mining process. The next batch of conversion drones will be available in three days. The bidding's already begun with India putting a substantial amount of money into acquiring the drones. They want them to start building those vertical city towers you were talking about a few months back. Apparently their country's too densely populated for them to sustain the populace now, and mass murdering people is, apparently, frowned upon on Earth. Hmm… considering the pattern of your history, I wonder why that is."

"Yeah, I'm not taking that bait," Sam shot back to what she knew was Widget's taunting tone.

From within the guts of the fastest FTL drive in four galaxies, because the _Nex_ was faster than the Ori, Asgard, _Atlantis_, and everything Earth has, Widget laughed before swearing both loudly and violently. Or, at least, Sam assumed that he was swearing. She hadn't mastered the Furling language quite yet and when Widget got angry he talked to fast for her to understand him no matter what language he was speaking.

"What did you break?" Sam asked in a concerned tone.

"My finger," Widget replied before there was an audible snap and another curse. "Never mind, it was just dislocated. Having a nano-forged bone structure composed of gravity-forge crushed metal alloys is good for one thing, at least."

"You're ridiculous," Sam said while shaking her head.

"How did the war summit go ouch!" Widget swore as something hard hit something harder. "Banged my knee."

"Admiral Nishiike gave a riveting speech about not giving up in the face of adversity then Caldwell started ironing out a plan of attack. The main problem now is that we need the _Spirit of Fire_ to pull off the plan that Caldwell has in mind, the ship is a month out from being ready for launch, and four days out after that from getting here. That gives the Wraith a disturbingly large amount of time to get their upgrades in place."

"Then we should launch the attack ahead of his schedule. If all he wants to do is take the Core, then we can do that with what we have."

"The Core's been moved from a tower in the city to a City Ship by Todd's orders. That City Ship has its shields up twenty-four seven and we **still** can't beam past a City Ship's shield for the same reason that drones can't slip past their shield."

"So we'd have to collapse the shield while under attack in orbit and the _Gaia_ is the only ship with the firepower to get through a City Ship's shield fast enough to matter. Well, the only ship that's still FTL capable and taking the _Nex_ means using _Atlantis_ to move it which puts civilians in danger… I'm starting to see why this is a problem. I'll think on it and get back to you later," Widget said as the speakers in the ship crackled to life and started playing a song.

Sam shook her head at the recently 're-born' 'man' and walked down the hall. Much to her satisfaction, her assumption that the whole ship would be bothered by Widget's antics was put to rest when she noted that only the room that housed the FTL Core had the music playing.

She made the short trip from the FTL Core to the train station where the ship's tram system would take her to the CIC quicker, because, once again, something had come up that had prevented the ship from receiving its beaming package. Once back in the ship's command center, she looked around at the holograms that covered the walls. Bringing up the recorded images from before they left Earth, she looked at the large snowflake sitting in the Arctic that would be the base to another City Ship. They were producing them faster than Sam thought possible, and it was eating through their resources **fast**! Still, once the _Athena_ was completed they'd have one of every class except the _Demeter_-class colony ship, and they'd **all** be going to Pegasus.

Sam shook her head at the thought. Sure Caldwell was well within his right to challenge the Wraith, but Todd was taking him… well, just as seriously as a man like Caldwell promising the extinction of your species **should** be taken. The threat the Wraith posed was, in turn, being taken just as seriously. Sure Ba'al was still at large, but his plan for galactic domination was already known and stopping it would be easy… she hoped. That, and the Goa'uld no longer had the military strength to take on Earth in a one-on-one fight. Even if Ba'al outnumbered Earth's defense fleet, between the drones, the PDS, and the STO network he'd never get past orbit.

Sam sat in the Control Chair and brought up the file that housed her current project. She'd been working on this for nearly a year, and construction was set to begin soon. With all the stress of the attack on Asuras that was being planned, the _Nex_ being stranded in Pegasus, and _Atlantis_ being on the run, she found that immersing herself in the computerized world of the _Nex_'s AI Core was relaxing. She could sit on a beach and design a space station for Earth that would house the bulk of their military power, or she could sit in a coffee shop and do the same. All without leaving the ship. Actually, it was rather depressing. She didn't get out much latterly, and she almost always ended up chasing Widget from one bar to another when she did. The AI-turned-organic was becoming quite the functional alcoholic, and that was another of those thoughts that, because it was true, made her question the insanity that is her life.

Her train of thought was cut off when Kimberly screamed and half a dozen guns snapped to shoulders ready to fire. Well, seven guns actually, but Sam's sidearm could hardly be snapped to her shoulder.

"What? Where? I didn't detect anyone getting onto the ship!" Widget said in a confused tone as he spun around searching for something to hit with the glowing ball in his hand.

"Sorry," Kimberly said. "I'm sorry. I just… I'm sorry."

With a sigh, Sam said, "Look at yourself in the camera."

Widget did, but apparently the affect was lost on him. "I'm covered in grease," Widget said, and indeed he was. From the very top of a head that was normally covered in hair that was light brown all the way down to his waistline, Widget was pitch black. In fact, the only part of him that wasn't black were his eyes and the area surrounding them where he had worn safety-glasses. "That tends to happen when you leave an FTL drive sitting idle for millions of years then overuse it in a combat situation then fry it during an intergalactic jump it wasn't ready for. There was a leak. That's why I was fixing it. Now I have to get the superconductive coils replaced, but I need more naquadria before that can happen."

"Go take a shower," Sam said with a shake of her head as the CIC guards lowered their weapons and went back to just standing there.

"Were you just looking for an excuse to order me to get naked?" Widget asked at a deadpan.

Sam's eyes went wide, her face pale, and her voice left her entirely.

Kimberly squeaked at the thought.

And the CIC guards? They started laughing at the two women.

***Milky Way Galaxy (Ba'al's Territory)***

**Karia (En Route)**

*_UNSC Giovannetta_ (Combat Information Center)*

Ammiraglio Alessandra Elia stood at the tactical plotting table across from her Executive Officer, Capitano di Vascello, or simply a Captain in the UNSC Space Force, Deangelo Basilio. Her time in the Italian Marina Militare had hardened her into something cold and lethal. She had an eye for tactical maneuvers, that's how she made Ammiraglio, the equivalent of an Admiral in the new structuring of the global military force.

"They will cluster their defenses around the production facility," Basilio said as he moved a holographic marker over the indicated area of the holographic planet.

"Did the Tok'ra not tell us in full what to expect?" Elia asked.

"They told us what they could before they were discovered. Sensors records were also forwarded to UNSC Command," Basilio replied as he replayed the gathered Intel.

"How were they discovered?" Elia inquired as ten Ha'tak exited hyperspace in the replay and ambushed the Tok'ra ship from behind, another twenty already present in orbit of the target world.

"Something about a fluctuation in the power output of their generators causing the ship's cloak to fail for all of nine-hundredths of a second."

"And that was enough?"

"The background heat of space is roughly three degrees kelvin as a constant. Any amount of heat in space is an instant giveaway. In that less-than-a-second span of time, the Tok'ra ship emitted enough heat to be seen from three times the distance that they were at. Without the cloaking field distorting light, the internal sink systems capturing the heat, and the engines stone-cold, even a thermal telescope could detect a ship coming in from a considerable distance away."

"Then how do we get around that?"

"No one's completely sure," Basilio replied with a shrug. "The _Odyssey_'s cloak was developed by a being that was roughly half-ascended before he left Doctor Jackson's mind. The cloaking field is so advanced it not only avoids removing the _Odyssey_'s shields, it also captures one-hundred percent of the heat produced by the ship when operating at a full burn. Even flying around shooting plasma beams at the Ori, they were still undetectable to everyone but the AIs in communication with Odysseus. The field on the Tok'ra ships only operates at fifty-percent efficiency and the ships have extra systems installed to capture the extra heat the field can't stop. These systems, however, run the risk of cooking everyone inside if they're not vented in time. The Asgard never had cloaking technology for us to duplicate, the Furlings used a more advanced system than the Tok'ra that still can't beat the one Merlin made, and the Jumper cloaks aren't even as advanced as the one on the _Odyssey_ so we're stumped as to how to reproduce the cloak. Even the AIs can't figure it out which is telling. The best we could do is get the _Ares_ a system capable of hiding it for a few hours at a time."

"And Doctor Jackson cannot tell us what he did?"

"To save his mind from destruction brought on by the stress of having two minds in one body, Merlin erased Doctor Jackson's memory of all that happened while they were joined. I recall reading the report in which General Carter mentions having trouble shutting the cloak off. That's how advanced it was, and all Doctor Jackson had to say was, 'Having a ZPM helps'."

"Then stealth is not an option here," Elia mused. "Not that it is needed, but an ambush from within their lines would be preferable to a drawn-out campaign for orbital supremacy. Did the Tok'ra manage to ascertain the number of enemy ships?"

"Other than the thirty they could confirm, we don't know much. We do know that each Ha'tak carries twelve wings of Death Gliders and three wings of Al'kesh mid-range bombers. That does not, however, give us an accurate count on their fighter forces. This planet produces everything from the Ha'tak to the Death Gliders and Al'kesh they carry, as well as the staff weapons, bombs, troop transporters, and everything else Ba'al uses in his war with the galaxy."

"Our concerns end once we take orbit," Elia said as she flipped through sensors readings and projected enemy forces. "The soldiers on the ground are not our concern. The thirty Ha'tak and wings of fighters and bombers are. Also, there is the possibility of more defenses," Elia continued as she pointed out several areas in orbit where the Tok'ra had detected high levels of energy output that shouldn't be there.

"Orbital weapons platforms," Basilio observed.

"And if Ba'al has those, he is likely to have surface-to-orbit cannons as well. We will have to make sure we watch for these emplacements during the engagement. Even as I'm sure the _Ares_ will survive a direct hit from an STO cannon, their shields will be stressed during reentry and the last thing we need is STOs taking out the Vultures. Without those things, the wounded have only the long way back to the ship."

"Ha'tak, fighters, bombers, orbital weapons platforms, and surface-to-orbit cannons. The only thing that Ba'al is missing is a planetary defense shield to match the defenses of Earth," Basilio mused.

"Do not give the enemy ideas," Elia said, a small smile on her scared lips. "If you do, they will attack the Jaffa who possess the technology, but not the means to defend it against the full might of Ba'al's fleet."

"Yes, ma'am," Basilio replied.

"ETA!" Elia called to the front of the CIC.

"T-minus twenty minutes, ma'am," the helmsman on duty replied. That was normally Basilio's job, but Elia had high hopes for the man she was making her protégé.

"Then let us iron out our plan of attack," Elia said as she buckled down and got serious.

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_UEG Clausus Cursor_ (Doctor Jackson's Office)*

"_You have a visitor, sir,"_ the voice said from the speaker in his desk.

"Thank you, Clark, and you can stop calling me 'sir.' I'm not in the military," Daniel replied somewhat absently as he filed away another holo-report.

"You're a member of SG-1, Doctor Jackson. Whether you want to be or not, you're a living legend to the people of Earth. Without you, we wouldn't even have figured out how to dial the Gate in the first place," Emmett Bregman said as he entered the room. "At this point, I don't see why you never enlisted."

"I'd get lost in the paperwork and never see Cheyenne again. That, and if I was in the military they would've been able to court martial me when I freed the Tollans against direct orders," Daniel replied with a warm smile as he stood to shake the man's hand. Behind him, the same camera crew that had accompanied him through the SGC all those years ago walked in to set up their equipment. "And besides, Sam would've figured it out sooner or later."

"That's a good point," Bregman said with a smile of his own. "It's also nice to see that I'm not as… unwanted as before."

"Yeah, no hard feelings, right?" Daniel asked with a small laugh. "Back then, things were… different. We lost a lot of good people."

"I know," Bregman agreed sadly.

"So, have you spoken to Jack yet?" Daniel asked in a brighter tone.

"The Director of the United Nations Space Command is a busy man, Doctor Jackson. I'm not scheduled to see him for another three months," Bregman replied. "Even Carter has more free time than he does, and, from what I understand, she's the Acting-Commander of the Space Force or something like that."

"She's Jack's second when it comes to the Space Force, yes, but she's not an 'Acting-Commander.' Once the new ship is ready, we'll have a Human-built flagship for the fleet and the _Nex_ will become a specialized Super Dreadnought for extended, deep space deployments like the Furlings originally designed her to be. There's talk of sending her to the Ori galaxy with a small force to be sure the Ori don't get their fleet back up. They'd be launching raids on Ori production facilities since we can't destroy the damn Supergate and they're bound to come back eventually."

"Will that monstrous thing fit through the Supergate?" Rundell asked.

Daniel laughed at his question and shook his head. "Widget wants to repair the _Nex_'s FTL drive and get it working on an intergalactic level again, but refining naquadria to the level he needs it at is… dangerous, to say the least, but it's the only superconductor in our universe that can handle the needed power surge. The plan is to send a Heavy Cruiser through, probably the _Odyssey_ since she can cloak, then send a data-burst with coordinates back through. Once that's done, the _Nex_ can just make the jump."

"That is so cool," Wickenhouse said in an awed tone.

"Why aren't we using those things as standard issue? Wouldn't that be better than four days to reach _Atlantis_?" Rundell asked.

"It would, yes," Daniel said with a nod, "but the _Nex_'s wormhole drive is larger than a 304. I think Sam said the wormhole drive takes up enough space that more than half of a Heavy Cruiser would have to be devoted solely to its subsystems. The only other system similar to it we've encountered is the Colonial jump-drive, and even the Cylon jump-drive, which is more advanced than the Colonial model and small enough to fit into a fighter, isn't compatible with the power needed for an intergalactic jump. Needless to say, we're trying to upgrade the Cylon jump-drive we have at the Alpha Site with the tech we have on the _Nex_. Until then, we're sticking with supercharged hyperdrives."

"Bigger than a 304? That's the _Daedalus_-class, right?" Wickenhouse asked.

"Right," Daniel confirmed. "Just over three-hundred cubic meters of pipes, tubes, wires, gears, and a bunch of stuff that glows that I have no idea how to explain."

Bregman let out a low whistle at that. "And we're replacing that beast with something else?"

"Sam is the only Human in the UNSC with the FTA gene needed to operate the ship because Sieon trusted her enough to give **her** the ship. Sam doesn't really have the requirements to be the 'UNSC Fleet Admiral,' she's a scientist first as she puts it, so Jack needs to replace the _Nex_ in order to replace her. To do that… well, let's just say that Jack is found of 'big honking space guns'," Daniel replied.

"How big are we talking?" James asked excitedly.

"And that's where we hit the first wall," Daniel replied with a grimace. "That's classified above even **my** pay-grade."

"Fair enough, Doctor Jackson. Are you ready to begin?" Bregman asked. Daniel nodded in reply and Bregman pulled out a notepad while James finished setting up the camera. The red light came on as Wickenhouse set up the computer and Rundell got their sound equipment tuned. "Ready?" Bregman asked his crew.

"Ready, sir," James replied.

"Okay…" Bregman mused as he looked down at his notepad. "If you don't mind, we'll just keep this as an interview and I'll edit it later. If the questions seem random, it's because they are."

"Fine by me," Daniel replied.

"So…" Bregman said before clearing his throat. "Have you heard the news?"

"Who has time for the News when you're left in charge of the historical part of a global education reform?" Daniel replied with a light laugh. "What's the GBN saying this time?"

"A civilian company has finally entered the space age. The Dahl Corporation won the bid for the next 304 A hull being built in Finland. Immediately after they got confirmation the ship was theirs, they had the slip workers tear out the missile tubes and expand the cargo capacity of the ship. Essentially, they have a 304 with shields, beaming tech, a hyperdrive, railguns, and a modified Pelican designed as a cargo ship with no weapons or shields. Everything else was stripped out to make room for mining equipment. They've already bought the coordinates and sovereign rights to mine the worlds that the SGC abandoned when they got the Colonials to agree to allow the UNSC to mine New Caprica."

"So there's finally going to be a company providing space-age technology to the general population?" Daniel asked with a happy nod of his head.

"Some say it's taken too long," Bregman prompted.

"Ah, I see the question," Daniel mused.

"Edit that out," Bregman said to which Wickenhouse nodded.

Clearing his throat, Daniel began again. "The UNSC isn't the global power everyone seems to think it is. Saying that the UNSC should release space age technologies to the public is like saying that the US government should release the plans for our nuclear weapons to the general population. There are certain technologies that will never reach civilian hands, and, yes, personal shields and hand-held energy weapons are amongst them…"

"Hold on," Bregman cut him off. "Take that out too. I'm not questioning **why** things were withheld, just that the stuff that was released wasn't able to be produced without off-world mining sites. I'm not attacking you, the UEG, or the UNSC, Doctor Jackson."

"Ah, I see," Daniel said as he started over after taking a moment to think it over. "Yes, it is about time we got a civilian mining company out in the stars, but that's not the fault of anyone trying to withhold the technology from the people of Earth. Most of the space age technology that you want in your homes can't be produced with what's on Earth. It's a matter of prioritizing resources. The UNSC currently has **one** world worth mining and we are stripping it **fast**. When we got access to New Caprica, we abandoned the other mines we had because that **one** planet had all the resources we needed to build an entire fleet, and the Battle for Earth cost us a lot. Upgrading the 304 As to 304 Bs drained a lot of what Homeworld Command had available to it.

"Now we have the UNSC, and the first thing we had to do was decide how to proceed. We **survived** the Battle for Earth, and, even then… not all of us did. We won by the skin of our teeth. If not for the _Nex_, which was still under the command of the Furlings during that battle, and the sacrifice it made, we would've lost more. Without the timely arrival of _Atlantis_, we would've lost the entire crew of the _Gaia_. There were a thousand souls aboard that ship when it lost its shield. They were one shot away from dying to the last. Without the unpredicted arrival of the Impolans and the twenty-three Motherships they personally destroyed…" Daniel stopped to shake his head. "The skin of our teeth, Mister Bregman.

"The first thing General O'Neill did when they named him the Director of the United Nations Space Command was devote everything we had to recovering what we lost, then expanding on it. So I ask this question to anyone who thought it took 'too long'," Daniel said before facing the camera directly "Which would you rather have? A fleet in orbit to protect you from the things that go bump in the night, or a holo-screen TV hitting the market that only the richest of the rich would be able to afford in the first place?

"New Caprica is **one** world with what we need to build up our forces enough to actively defend our new mine, launch attacks on Ba'al to keep him away from Earth, send ships to Pegasus to protect them from the Wraith, and still have ships left over to stay in orbit of Earth as a permanent defense force. If we tried to give civilians access to those resources, we wouldn't have the fleet we do. The UNSC is a global **military** power devoted to the sole purpose of protecting this planet from hostile powers. Their first mandate is to protect Earth as a whole. Because the Asgard named us their heirs, we're also contractually obligated to defend the twenty-two worlds in the Protected Planets Treaty. Behind those two mandates there stands another. We protect the innocent.

"If you want to argue anything about the UNSC, it's that we protect people who can't defend theirselves. Either that happens like it did before, with the only ship we had in this galaxy never being in orbit of Earth, or it happens with a fleet large enough to be in four places at once. It is not the responsibility of the UNSC to provide space age technology to the civilian population of Earth. It's not the UEG's responsibility either. The **companies** on Earth sell you your goods. If the government sells you a product, they decide what to charge you for it and there is no arguing with them. Do you really want the government or the military to have a monopoly on space age goods? No. You want a cooperation like Dahl, a mining cooperation, to mine the resources, sell the resources to companies like Gearbox, Vladof, and Corazza, and have them sell their products to Walmart, Target, and other such general-good vendors. That way, you have options as to where you buy your goods from, and those companies will all compete with one another to get the best price.

"Neither the UNSC nor the UEG control the global economy. It would be unethical if either did. Instead, the global economy will be left to work as it always has. As such, you get your space age goods when the companies who provide them do as Dahl has done and enter the space age for theirselves."

"And cut there," Bregman said with an approving nod.

"Perfect place for the quote we got from Miss Mal Doran," James noted.

"What quote?" Daniel asked worriedly. "It's not a copyrighted quote she's claiming for her own is it?"

"Don't worry, Doctor Jackson, it's just an observation she made about Human behavior," Wickenhouse assured him.

Well, 'assured' him.

"Oh, God," Daniel said with his head in his hands. "What did she say?"

Bregman smiled at him in reply. "You'll have to watch the film if you want the answer to that question, Doctor Jackson," he said with that smirk in place before jumping into the next question. "Does the UEG have laws against monopolies? If not, then Dahl just became one of Earth's largest economic powerhouses."

"The Dahl Cooperation has always been an economic powerhouse," Daniel replied smoothly, his misery promptly shoved down. "They haven't abused that power in the past. There's no reason to believe they'll begin now."

"They'll have no competition in their sales, and that's a dangerous position to be in. Power tends to go to your head. What happens when Dahl decides to save up all their money and start their own product line? Then they mine the materials, produce the goods, and sell them. Once they do that, they control the market for space age goods. They already have the only civilian-operated space ship capable of interplanetary, and even intergalactic, space travel."

Daniel steepled his fingers in thought before beginning. "The UEG doesn't have laws against a monopoly per say because of their desire to remain nonintrusive in the daily going-ons of the global economy, but the issue was addressed by the UEG Congress immediately after Dahl first placed their bid for the ship and it became clear that there was a very real possibility they would win. As companies often do, Dahl does have more money than the governments that were bidding for the hull.

"In order to most effectively prevent the misuse of the technology and abuse of power that comes with having a monopoly, a deal was struck. First and foremost was ownership of the hull. While true that the Dahl Cooperation won the bid, the ships are still built with military technology as part of the base design. Even without the missile tubes, there's still the matter of a civilian company possessing beaming technology that could bypass a bank's vault, railguns that can make precision strikes on ground targets, and shields that can survive nuclear missiles and plasma rounds with ease. Because of this, the ship is more on 'parole' to Dahl than it is owned by them… if that makes sense. To compensate, the price for the hull was lowered and a VI was installed in the ship to prevent the misuse or capture of its technology.

"In addition to this, there were other terms. The CEO of Dahl has agreed to certain stipulations on her company's possession of advanced military technology, and have been made aware of certain dangers that exist in mining off-world. First and foremost is that there are powers out in the galaxy that want what we have and even those powers getting their hands on our shields would be bad. As such, if the ship is ever engaged by the Cylons or another power like that, the ship will automatically jump back to Earth with or without all of its crew present. As such, the miners they're sending out with the ship are getting one hell of a Hazard Pay check every month, but it doesn't stop there. If Dahl is ever convicted in a court of law of having misused their economic might, the ship will be taken from them, refit into a war ship, and added to the fleet. There are countermeasures in place, but I won't call them perfect. Judges can always be bought, after all."

"Cut that last line," Bregman said. "Saying the system is flawed isn't very reassuring when you just said civilians have been given access to weapons of mass destruction," he added so Daniel knew why it was being cut. "There have been whispers, comments, and even outcries that we haven't gotten news from orbit in a while. I have to admit I'm one of the more outspoken people in that regard. It's strange not having a weekly update on the going-ons in orbit. After Disclosure, you yourself were in the news almost every day for two weeks straight. Now we don't get anything from the GBN but stuff about what's happening planet-side."

"That's because things are finally calmed down in orbit of Earth. Other worlds… well, let's just say that the UNSC is **far** from sitting idle. We've stepped up our presence in Pegasus and Ba'al's become the target of the ships still in the Milky Way. Now there's talk of getting the last line of City Ship, the colony establishing variant, built and placed on Mars. Apparently, when Sam told them that we could make Mars habitable, the people took it to heart. Now a large majority of you actually want Mars to be terraformed, and the UNSC's more likely to spend the money making Mars habitable than General O'Neill is to set up a colony light years away that will be attacked by our enemies and need its own fleet for protection which means more ships, which means more mining worlds, which means more ships to defend them as well… It's a vicious cycle that's avoided simply by having two habitable worlds in one system.

"If we terraform Mars, we get a new world rich in minerals to mine for the production of civilian goods, we get the colony everyone's asking for, we get to alleviate the stress of overpopulation on Earth, and we get to keep the new colony close enough to defend with the same ships that never leave orbit of Earth for more than a day or two at a time. However, the production of the _Demeter_-class City Ship would have to wait until after the _Athena_ has been finished. It would probably be another year before we saw a self-sustaining colony established on Mars. That, and having never done it before, we're not even sure what to send. It'll be a learning process for us, so that makes Mars all the more appealing. Who knows, maybe we'll get around to terraforming Mercury and Venus as well."

"We can do that?" Bregman asked skeptically. "Mercury is tidally locked with the sun, isn't? That means there's one side that's exposed to the daylight twenty-four seven. Even that argument is invalid since days on other worlds are different from days on Earth. I find it hard to believe that you could build a colony on a planet that's either always day or always night."

"We once found a device on a planet that had drifted too close to its star. The increased amount of solar radiation was lethal the people who lived there, so the Goa'uld who were mining the world created a device that served as an artificial ozone layer over a set area between two emitters. We can replicate that technology on both a larger and more effective scale to wrap all of Mercury in an ozone layer powerful enough to block the sun then pump the planet full of flash-forged oxygen, nitrogen, and everything else that life needs to evolve on a planet. Then we start creating oceans, planting trees… Actually, there's another step before all that. Before we start terraforming the surface, we'd probably slam an asteroid into the planet at a specifically calculated speed, angle, direction, and of a certain mass. The impact would, in theory and if done right, impart enough momentum to Mercury to cause it to spin faster. I won't even pretend to understand the science behind it though, so be sure to ask Sam about it when you interview her. Long story short, we'd essentially be playing God. You want to know how the Christian God created the world in seven days?" Daniel asked with a devious smirk. "We'll show you."

"In a time-lapse, of course," Bregman half-asked.

"Oh yes, definitely a time-lapse!" Daniel agreed. "What I understand of the process would take over a year in normal time, but, if the project is automated and the planet is locked in a time-dilation field, we could do it in seven days our-time, but inside of the field decades can pass in seconds."

"That's a scary thought," Bregman mumbled as he flipped through his notes. "Okay…" Bregman said then cleared his throat, a clear sign that they were continuing. "There have been complaints coming in from all over the world about living conditions, the price of living, minimum wage, gas prices… all of it's being written in letters and mailed to the UNSC Headquarters in the City Factory. Why is that?"

"Because people don't yet understand the structure of things post-disclosure. The UNSC is the United Nations **Space Command**. It's a global military power composed of soldiers from every country on Earth. It's not a political power. The UNSC has no say in political matters. The UEG is the United Earth Governments. They're the ones you take your complaints to, but the UEG has no control over things like living conditions, the price of living, minimum wage, or gas prices. Just like the governments of the countries you live in have never had control over gas prices, neither does the UEG. Whichever company you buy your products from has the final say in how much to charge you for those goods. The UEG has no power over the global economy. Things like minimum wage are still controlled by the local governments. If you have a complaint in those areas, talk to your Mayor, then your Governor, then your Congressman if things still aren't resolved. We have no say over your lives because the UEG was formed by the governments that already existed.

"It's like the UN. When the UN was created, they didn't go out, buy a stretch of land, stick down a flag and declare this as UN territory. The UEG is the same way, but on a larger scale. We, as a people, are still too divided for a single governing body to exist as the sole political power on Earth. How many of you know the name of your local representative to the UEG Congress? How many of you voted that person into office? I'll tell you now that Richard Woolsey, the American representative to the UEG got his job because he was our representative in the IOA before it was disbanded. Like the other countries, we simply promoted people into the positions because order had to be established in a post-disclosure world. I believe it's the year after next that we start opening the poles to elect officials into the UEG Congress.

"It wasn't a power play," Daniel quickly added. "Believe me it wasn't, it was just a decision made to assure that Earth didn't collapse into a state of chaos and rioting. No one's trying to undermine your freedom or your rights, but when we did disclosure, we did it on the back of an invasion that saw… I think the final figure was just shy of two-hundred-fifty-thousand people dead in **one day**. People were understandably angry and we waited a whole week to tell you what was going on."

"Sorry to interrupt, but this is actually getting into another topic I want to address later when I do the part on the Battle for Earth," Bregman said as he flipped to another page. "We'll go back to that, but not today. I need to get Doctor Weir's opinion first because I have a feeling she'll explain it better." Bregman then looked up and added, "No offense, but she's been doing public relations longer than you have."

"Very true," Daniel admitted with a light laugh. "She's more politically active than I've ever been."

"So," Bregman said in a serious, all-business tone. "Zero-Week."

That was all the words to the question. Daniel needed nothing else to know what he meant. Zero-Week were the days leading up to and immediately following the Battle for Earth. At the SGC, they had called it 'Hell Week' for very obvious reasons.

"I know how scary that week was," Daniel admitted with a slight hitch in his tone. "You watched from the surface as ships did battle in orbit with no clue as to what was going on. I was at the heart of a military facility watching our ships take on a numerically superior force I knew to be extremely powerful, watching as bodies were blown out of hull breaches when shields were overloaded, trying not to panic when the _Gaia_ lost its shields or when the _Apollo_ lost its hangar bay… Watching the _Odyssey_ stand still to intercept those beams was the longest five seconds of my life.

"It was like the world had just stopped spinning, time had stopped moving. I know the crew of the _Odyssey_ rather well. I'll admit that I was shamelessly praying, **begging** even, to every God I know by name no matter which religion they belonged to, the Greek Pantheon included, that we made it out alive. I'll even admit I prayed for my friends specifically over the planet as a whole. I sat with the daughter of a coworker we lost a few years back, trying to comfort her as she held it all in watching people die while I was falling apart right beside her. It was horrible," Daniel said, his voice actually quivering and his eyes threatening to leak tears.

"Cut," Bregman ordered. The light on the camera immediately went off and he handed Daniel a handkerchief. "That's what I was hoping for," he said kindly. "Humanizing the people who knew so that they don't seem so alien." After giving Daniel a moment to collect himself, he asked, "How is Cassie?"

"I spoke to her last week. She's doing better now that she doesn't have to lie to everyone about who she is," Daniel replied.

"Good," Bregman said with a smile. "She's a good kid."

"She is," Daniel agreed with a nod.

"Whenever you're ready, Doctor Jackson."

With a deep breath and a nod, Daniel continued.

"It's one thing to know the planet was at risk. It's another thing to watch the people you have stood next to for ten years dying while you sit there, watching, helpless to stop the slaughter. You have no idea what that week was. The Ori weren't just an extragalactic invader, they were **dominating** our galaxy. The Free Jaffa Nation sent an entire fleet to the Supergate when it first activated, the Lucian Alliance, our sworn enemy, even sent ships, and we sent two of our own. There were over twenty ships composing that fleet. Twenty! Only two of them survived, and both were so badly damaged that the Alliance Ha'tak wasn't worth salvaging and was destroyed by their own reinforcements. I was aboard the _Korolev_ when it went down.

"I survived by jumping into the ring platform and I ended up aboard an Ori ship surrounded by the enemy. Colonel Mitchell, who was a Lieutenant-Colonel in charge of SG-1 and now serves as the CO of the _Achilles_, he made it out in a fighter as the 302 bay exploded around him. I've been close to dying before, hell I **have** died before… twice, actually…" Daniel trailed off with a shake of his head. "Leave that part out. I don't need people asking me questions about it."

"Okay," Bregman said with a nod.

"I've been close to dying before, but that day was bad. With four ships, the Ori destroyed the largest fleet ever assembled by Earth and her allies. With four ships, the Ori began their conquest of the galaxy and nothing could stand before them without falling over and burning to ash. The Jaffa had weapons that couldn't touch their shields, and shields that couldn't withstand their weapons. We were only slightly better off. Our shields could handle the Ori's weapons, but our own weapons were weaker and less effective than the Jaffa's. The Ori were like the bubonic plague in that they seemed insurmountable. Then the Asgard gave their lives to provide us with a future we otherwise wouldn't have had. With the technology they gave us, we held the line… barely."

"You've lost a lot of people over the years, haven't you?"

Daniel nodded sadly in reply.

*_UEG Clausus Cursor_ (Guest Quarters) [two hours later]*

"_Numbers lie,"_ Doctor Jackson began with a sad smile. _"Numbers cover over complicated feelings and confusing situations. People try to use numbers to describe things that should __**not**__ be quantified. It reminds me of one of Joseph Stalin's quotes. I'm sure I'm paraphrasing here, but he said, 'One death is a tragedy; a million is just a statistic.' It's a horrible thing to say, but when it comes to data visualization and analysis, it's true a lot of the time. We have a huge dataset and we have to extract information from it. In the process though, we forget that every one of those numbers has real non-numeric value to it. There are emotions and feelings."_

The playback paused as Bregman made more notes on the screen. "We'll do this as a voice over with the released pictures of the dead from the Battle for Earth with numbers and charts showing the losses popping up in the background. Then we switch over to the interview with Miss… what was her name?"

"Rawlinson," James provided.

"Right. Put her in talking about how her daughter used to love climbing trees and her childhood memories," Bregman continued.

"Keep the numbers going?" Wickenhouse asked.

"Yes," Bregman replied. "We want to remind the people that these **aren't** **just** numbers. They were people… and their deaths left behind loved ones. Then switch it over to the alien that's always calling us 'organics' instead of 'Humans.' Pick up with his line…" Bregman checked his notes, "'Life is complex'."

"You mean the AI in the organic body?" Rundell asked with a roll of his eyes.

"The one with the obvious crush on Carter that only she can't see?" James countered with a smirk.

"Yes, that one," Bregman replied, ignoring their comments.

The playback picked up again as the edits were made, the crying face of the grieving mother brave enough to be on camera being replaced by an alien that broke the laws of morality in some opinions.

"_Life is complex, Mister Bregman,"_ the alien said in response to Bregman's question, his tone full of awe. _"You evolved from the primordial muck of a planet covered in apex predators. Your race should've been eaten alive by the 'bigger fish,' but, instead, you learned to out__**smart**__ everything that could outrun or out fight you."_

"Hold on," Bregman said with a disappointed shake of his head. "I know he doesn't mean it, but it sounds like he's talking down on Humans. Let's just avoid the incident before it can be made and cut that. Start with 'Life is complex' then jump to the part where he says that part about 'being alive because you think it'."

"When he says the Human definition of life is flawed?" James asked.

"No, we should put that in after his spiel on 'I think therefore I am.' It'll flow better," Rundell suggested.

"I agree," Bregman nodded approvingly.

"Okay…" Wickenhouse mused as he edited the tape. "Here…"

"_Life is complex, Mister Bregman,"_ the alien said again, his tone still the same because, you know, recordings. The scene hitched only slightly as the alien went from leaning in on Bregman full of excitement to sitting back slightly with a spark in his eyes and a chest rumbling laugh. _"You Humans have a saying. 'I think therefore I am.' I have lived my entire life inside of a computer, yes, but am I any less alive because of it? I think, I __**feel**__, I get scared, I panic, I worry, I cry…"_ a shake of a head that began at the end of once scene and served to transition to another. _"The Human definition of life is flawed."_

"_How so?"_ Bregman asked in the recording.

"_I know it's not the way these things go, but…"_ the alien began again, the recording stopping as Bregman shook his head.

"Skip the first half of that sentence. No one cares that this isn't how things are normally done. Just go to the question," Bregman ordered.

"_How so?"_ Bregman asked in the recording as the editing was done.

"_Let me ask you something, Mister Bregman. What is your definition of life?"_

"Now skip the part where I say, 'No one cares about my definition of life' and just put in my answer to his question."

"_Life is… living, breathing. Experiencing the world. It's… growing, learning… life is life."_

"The **second** answer I give him to the question," Bregman amended with a huff.

"_Let me ask you something, Mister Bregman. What is your definition of life?"_

A minor hitch as the editing removed his awkward answer.

"_Life is growing old, learning all you can, working as hard as you can, withering… dying."_

"_Another question if you'll indulge me a moment longer. Am I alive, Mister Bregman?"_

"I still can't believe he asked you that," Rundell commented.

"Talk about dancing in a minefield," James agreed.

"_You have a body, yes,"_ Bregman replied in the recording.

"Okay," Bregman said in real life, "skip that part. Not to cover my ass, but because it's covered later. Go to… 'I was born in a computer'."

"_Another question if you'll indulge me a moment longer. Am I alive, Mister Bregman?"_ Another slight hitch as the stream of images and sounds was clipped. They'd fix that later. _"I was conceptualized by a woman and a man who are, equivocally to Human society, 'married,' but I was born in a computer and lived with a hologram as my only way of letting people see my face for longer than you can comprehend. Am I any less alive? I have a body __**now**__, yes, but before then was I any less alive than I am now? Is not the ship I controlled a body?"_

"_It has no flesh,"_ Bregman replied in a serious tone.

"_Cylon ships do,"_ the alien replied.

"Cut in and put an image of the Cylon Baseship into the corner there," Bregman ordered. "Make sure it's a picture with the fleshy parts showing, then cut to the comment about Webster's dictionary, then go back to this."

"_I have a body __**now**__, yes, but before then was I any less than I am now? Is not the ship I controlled a body?"_

"_It has no flesh."_

"_Cylon ships do."_ A hitch in the recording. _"According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of life is: The ability to grow, change, etc., that separates plants and animals from things like water or rocks."_ Hitch. _"By your own definition a Wraith Hiveship is alive. I won't argue the point because I agree that it is. It regrows lost sections and heals battle damage, but…"_ Hitch. _"Are they more alive than I am because of it? A Cylon Baseship has a hybrid hooked into it which is like having your organic mind connected to a computer game; a fully immersive virtual world. The differences between me and a Cylon hybrid, however, are unique. A Cylon hybrid is a semi-organic being connected to a semi-organic ship. I'm a fully artificial construct with organic memories, emotions, and an organic personality. My body was made of hyper-compressed layers of ablative armor, but was I less alive than a Hiveship or Baseship because of it? My mind is more evolved than any Cylon in existence and that includes their ships. Why does a mindless ship get to be 'alive' and I don't? Because of something as simple as organic __**flesh**__?"_

"Okay, okay, cut the part that says 'my mind is more evolved than any Cylon,' then play it back from Doctor Jackson talking about numbers. I wanna check the flow," Bregman ordered.

"_So,"_ Bregman said in a serious, all-business tone. _"Zero-week."_

"_I know how scary that week was," _Daniel admitted and Bregman could see the pain in his eyes in the recording._ "You watched from the surface as ships did battle in orbit with no clue as to what was going on. I was at the heart of a military facility watching our ships take on a numerically superior force I knew to be extremely powerful, watching as bodies were blown out of hull breaches when shields were overloaded, trying not to panic when the _Gaia_ lost its shields or when the _Apollo_ lost its hangar bay… Watching the _Odyssey_ stand still to intercept those beams was the longest five seconds of my life._

"_It was like the world had just stopped spinning, time had stopped moving. I know the crew of the _Odyssey_ rather well. I'll admit that I was shamelessly praying, __**begging**__ even, to every God I know by name no matter which religion they belonged to, the Greek Pantheon included, that we made it out alive. I'll even admit I prayed for my friends specifically over the planet as a whole. I sat with the daughter of a coworker we lost a few years back, trying to comfort her as she held it all in watching people die while I was falling apart right beside her. It was horrible," _Daniel said, his voice shaky and eyes on the verge of tears.

Then a hitch.

"_It's one thing to know the planet was at risk. It's another thing when it's the people you have stood next to for ten years dying while you sit there, watching, helpless to stop the slaughter. You have no idea what that week was. The Ori weren't just an extragalactic invader, they were __**dominating**__ our galaxy. The Free Jaffa Nation sent an entire fleet to the Supergate when it first activated, the Lucian Alliance, our sworn enemy, even sent ships, and we sent two of our own. There were over twenty ships composing that fleet. Twenty! Only two of them survived, and both were so badly damaged that the Alliance Ha'tak wasn't worth salvaging and was destroyed by their own reinforcements. I was aboard the _Korolev_ when it went down._

"_I survived by jumping into the ring platform as the ship blew up around me and I ended up aboard an Ori ship surrounded by the enemy. Colonel Mitchell, who was a Lieutenant-Colonel in charge of SG-1 at the time and now serves as the CO of the _Achilles_, he made it out in a fighter as the 302 bay exploded around him. I've been close to dying before, but that day was bad. With four ships, the Ori destroyed the largest fleet ever assembled by Earth and her allies. With four ships, the Ori began their conquest of the galaxy and nothing could stand before them without falling over and burning to ash. The Jaffa had weapons that couldn't touch their shields, and shields that couldn't withstand their weapons. We were only slightly better off. Our shields could handle the Ori's weapons, but our own weapons were weaker and less effective than the Jaffa's. The Ori were like the bubonic plague in that they seemed insurmountable. Then the Asgard gave their lives and provided us with a future we otherwise wouldn't have had. With the technology they gave us, we held the line… barely."_

"_You've lost a lot of people over the years, haven't you?"_

Daniel nodded sadly in reply and Bregman, for the first time, heard the pain in his own voice as he asked that question.

"_Numbers lie,"_ Doctor Jackson began with a sad smile. _"Numbers cover over complicated feelings and confusing situations. People try to use numbers to describe things that should __**not**__ be quantified. It reminds me of one of Joseph Stalin's quotes. I'm sure I'm paraphrasing here, but he said, 'One death is a tragedy; a million deaths is just a statistic'."_ The video of Daniel sitting there looking depressed switched over to charts, graphs, and numbers scrolling across the screen. For now, they were blank. They'd add the actual numbers later. _"It's a horrible thing to say, but when it comes to data visualization and analysis, it's true a lot of the time. We have a huge dataset and we have to extract information from it. In the process though, we forget that every one of those numbers has real non-numeric value to it. There are emotions and feelings."_

Here the dead soldiers they had images of would be displayed, but, for now, it was a blank screen with a voice speaking from it.

"_My daughter, Olivia, she used to spend all day climbing trees. I'd look outside and she'd be at the top of the tallest branch lounged back reading a book like being three stories off of the ground was nothing to worry about,"_ the grieving mother said, her tone happy and sad at the same time. _"When she said she was going to join the Air Force, it didn't even surprise me. She loved heights. Flying just made sense. She came home from Basic bouncing off the walls talking about jumping out of airplanes during Tech School. She was a Warrior Airman, a Pararescue Jumper. When Haiti got hit by the earthquake, they called her. I came home from work and she had her bags packed. She told me, 'Momma, I'm going to help the people in Haiti get out. We're taking them supplies and helping them evacuate.'_

"_I had seen the news, we all had. The whole place was a disaster zone. There were no runways or docks left intact enough to use, that's why they were so desperate. I was so worried. They didn't have any clean water, they were starving, and she was just going to go over there and help like it wasn't anything to worry about? I spent the first few nights sleepless. Then I got a call from her. She was tired, but she was happy. She told me about all the good they were doing, all the people she'd helped. I was so proud of her. When she came back, she told me she wanted to go into space."_

"_And she ended up with the SGC?"_ Bregman asked.

"_Yes, but I didn't know then what I know now. She told me she had seen the stars. I never thought she meant that she had been on a ship built by Earth and flown to another planet. I never thought my daughter would be walking through wormholes to fight terrorists on other worlds. I never thought she'd die in a battle over Earth trying to keep aliens from killing everyone I've ever known."_

"_If you did know then what you know now, would you talk her out of it?"_

"_No,"_ Misses Rawlinson sobbed. _"She was happy. Every time I saw her, she was glowing. She was proud of what she was doing. She enjoyed her work. She had made friends with the people she worked with. She fell in love… watched him die… She was my little girl, but she was her own woman. Her choices were her own. I wouldn't take that happiness away from her. I know she died doing what she thought was right. That's all a parent can ask for."_

"_Life is complex, Mister Bregman. You Humans have a saying. 'I think therefore I am.' I have lived my entire life inside of a computer, yes, but am I any less alive because of it? I think, I __**feel**__. I get scared, I panic, I worry, I cry… The Human definition of life is flawed."_

"_How so?"_

"_Let me ask you something, Mister Bregman. What is your definition of life?"_

"_Life is growing old, learning all you can, working as hard as you can, withering… dying."_

"_Another question if you'll indulge me a moment longer. Am I alive, Mister Bregman? I was conceptualized by a man and woman who are, equivocally to Human society, 'married,' but I was born in a computer and lived with a hologram as my only way of letting people see my face for longer than you can comprehend. Am I any less alive? I have a body __**now**__, yes, but before then was I any less alive than I am now? Is not the ship I controlled a body?"_

"_It has no flesh."_

"_Cylon ships do."_

For now, there was a black square in the corner of the screen where the picture of the guts of a Baseship would go later.

"_According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of life is: The ability to grow, change, etc., that separates plants and animals from things like water or rocks.'_ _By your own definition a Wraith Hiveship is alive. I won't argue the point because I agree that it is. It regrows lost sections of its hull and heals battle damage, but are they more alive than I am because of it? A Cylon Baseship has a hybrid hooked into it which is like having your organic mind connected to a computer game; a fully immersive virtual world. The differences between me and a Cylon hybrid, however, are unique._

"_A Cylon hybrid is a semi-organic being connected to a semi-organic ship. I'm a fully artificial construct with organic memories, emotions, and an organic personality. My body was made of hyper-compressed layers of ablative armor, but was I less alive than a Hiveship or Baseship because of it? Why does a mindless ship get to be 'alive' and I don't? Because of something as simple as organic __**flesh**__? The sacrifice of the _Devastator_ was __**bloodless**__, yes, but it was not without loss. The AI aboard that ship was just as alive as I am, Mister Bregman…"_

"Cut," Bregman said while applying pressure to the bridge of his nose. "Comments?"

"I lose the flow around the part where he says… 'A Cylon Baseship has a hybrid hooked into it.' After that, it's not about people not being numbers anymore, it's about him being alive," James provided.

"Thank you, I was wondering why that was bothering me," Bregman mused. "Keeping with the fact that people are numbers, cut the part with the AI at… well, let's just play it back slower and I'll tell you what I don't want." They went through it again and Bregman sighed. "This has to go somewhere else. It's good material, but not for this section. This is about dead people not being numbers, not AIs being alive. Cut all of that and switch it over from the AI to Doctor Jackson when he says… 'We **survived** the Battle for Earth.' That'll fit better."

"_We __**survived**__ the Battle for Earth, and, even then… not all of us did. We won by the skin of our teeth. If not for the _Nex_, which was still under the command of the Furlings during that battle, and the sacrifice it made, we would've lost more. Without the timely arrival of _Atlantis_, we would've lost the entire crew of the _Gaia_. There were a thousand souls aboard that ship when it lost its shield. They were one shot away from dying to the last. Without the unpredicted arrival of the Impolans and the twenty-three Motherships they personally destroyed… The skin of our teeth, Mister Bregman._

"That's better. Now we can play with that and get it ready. We still need to get Carter and O'Neill's sides of this," Bregman said with a satisfied nod.

"We should get Mitchell's too since he was part of SG-1," Wickenhouse suggested.

"If we can, we should try and get Teal'c to sit down and do an interview. He's been with the SGC for ten years, started the Jaffa rebellion… he's a legend if ever there was one," Rundell added.

"One thing at a time, boys. One thing at a time," Bregman assured them. "First, while we wait for General O'Neill, we're going to New Caprica to get an interview with… Colonel Ian Davidson, CO of the _Odyssey_. Then we go to Pegasus to meet General Steven Caldwell, Colonel Abe Ellis, and Doctor Elizabeth Weir who lead the _Daedalus_, _Apollo_, and _Atlantis_ respectively. Once we've got them, we'll have everyone involved in the Battle for Earth, and we'll be able to start actually piecing this film together."

"I wonder where Carter went, anyway," Wickenhouse mused as he turned to look out the window in their editing room. In orbit of Earth, there was a rather stunning lack of a ten-kilometer warship.

"Probably classified," Rundell grumbled.

"Everything worth knowing is," Bregman agreed solemnly.

***Armstrong Nebula (Grissom System)***

**Notanban (Atmosphere)**

*_FGN Isai_ (Combat Information Center)*

"Are you sure of this? Once we begin down this path, there will be no going back," Wy'H'ofacion observed.

"My insistence thus far has been that you allow me a shuttle and time to complete this task on my own. Your counter-insistence has been that I do not do this alone. My mind is set, Dokal. I am going with or without you," Sieon replied solemnly.

"I will not leave you alone with your suffering, Sieon. There are not many of us left, but those that remain shall stay together. We are with you," Wy'H'ofacion assured him. "Are the preparations complete?"

"They are," Ruk'lgarb, more commonly called 'Ruk,' replied from his position in the pilot's seat. "We will Transition in a blind spot in the galactic spy network as you wished. The AI shall not know we're gone, and the system we are to appear in is not habitable. That does not, however, mean that our arrival will go unnoticed."

"Begin," Wy'H'ofacion ordered.

"Thank you," Sieon said as the lights started to flicker erratically, the _Isai_'s power core unable to sustain the output levels to run the whole ship while feeding power to the ship's new drive.

"Don't thank me yet," Dokal replied with a sad smile. His words were cut off by the whine of the generator reaching its peak output and the drive performing its purpose. As a blindingly bright pulse of white light consumed the _Isai_ and all aboard, the ship punched through the trans-universal barrier and disappeared from the universe that housed the Furlings for fifty-million years. As much as this was the universe they were born in, the one they had just left was home. "Our work has only just begun," Dokal finished as the light receded.

***Armstrong Nebula (Gagarin System)***

**Rayingri (Orbit)**

*_SSV Normandy_ (Combat Information Center)*

"_Commander, we've got a ping,"_ Joker, the _Normandy_'s pilot, informed the Commander.

"What is it, Joker?" Shepard asked.

"_It's an energy signature, Commander,"_ the voice of one Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko replied. _"Could be the Geth's main base. Even if it's not, anything powerful enough to be detected from another system warrants careful observation and the _Normandy_ is the only stealth ship we have."_

"_That, and we're here so why not?"_ Joker added.

"Alright, Joker, set a course and deploy the stealth system as soon as we drop out of FTL. I'll forward a report to Admiral Hackett," Shepard replied.

"_ETA; just under two hours,"_ Joker confirmed.

'_I wonder what we'll find this time,'_ Shepard mused.


	40. March of the Machines Part 1: Be All My

"The tactical result of an engagement forms the base for new strategic decisions because victory or defeat in a battle changes the situation to such a degree that no human acumen is able to see beyond the first battle. Therefore, no plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first contact with the main hostile force." – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

In other words, "No plan survives first contact with the enemy."

Chapter 39

March of the Machines Part 1

_Be All My Sins Remembered_

***Invalid Data Entry***

"_User Alert: booting operational runtimes. Scanning for location. Error: location unknown. Rebooting Universal Galactic Positioning System. Error: UGPS unresponsive. Initiating repair sequence. Error: Nannotrite repair systems offline. Rebooting core systems._

…

"_Core systems reboot complete. Core systems online. Running diagnostics runtimes. User Alert: hull integrity compromised. Initiating repair sequence. Error: nannotrite repair systems offline. User intercession required. Error: User status critical. Initiating emergency medical treatment runtime procedures. User Alert: nannomite stores critical. User Alert: rewriting nannomite runtimes. Rewrite complete. Nanite harvesting runtimes installed. Initiating emergency nanite production runtime procedures."_

***Armstrong Nebula (Grissom System)***

**Solcrum (Surface)**

*Geth Main Base (Interior)*

Shepard Charged across the room and brought his knee up into the Geth's chest. As the machine was sent flying away from him under the power of his biotics, the Commander landed with a roll and sent a Warp flying after the robot. The Geth, under the effect of two biotic fields, exploded right next to the tank of compressed, flammable gasses. As one explosion caused another, Shepard dove behind a crate to save himself from the flames and shockwave that quickly consumed the room. As the fire finally cleared, he poked his head out from behind cover, weapon in hand, and took in the scene.

"Contacts?" Shepard asked his squad.

"Negative, Commander," Alenko replied from somewhere behind him.

"Keep your eyes peeled. There could still be more of the invisible ones," Williams said in warning as she carefully studied the room through the scope of her rifle.

"Tali?" Shepard asked.

"_This server houses the Geth Collective for the Armstrong Nebula. If we destroy it, the Geth here die,"_ Tali replied, her soft, sweet, barely-a-teenager's voice slightly distorted by the full-body environmental suit she and all her species wore.

"Did you bring the high explosives?" Shepard asked Williams with a dark smirk.

"You insult me," Williams replied with a satchel of grenades in her hand, a smile in her tone, and most likely a smile on her face which was hidden behind her helmet. "I always come prepared for multiple contingencies."

"Then let's literally blow this metaphorical taco stand," Garrus added with what amounted to a smile on his alien face, which is to say a slight flaring of his mandibles.

"_Commander, you read me?"_ Joker's voice asked in Shepard's ear.

"What is it this time, Joker?" Shepard asked irritably.

"_We're receiving a message from _Arcturus_. You're going to want to see this."_

"What is it, Joker?" Shepard asked again, an annoyed edge to his tones.

"_We just got a message from Admiral Hackett ordering us to go to ground. The Systems Alliance is pulling out of Citadel Space and closing the boarders,"_ Joker said in a tone full of worry.

"What the hell's going on?!" Shepard asked with an air of dread filling the room.

"_The official reason given to the press is that we're running a series of drills due to the recent increase in Geth activity along the borders. The Alliance Fleet is mobilizing in force and securing the outer colonies. Hackett's even mobilized the Dreadnoughts. Fifth Fleet is taking up position near the Relays connecting us to the Serpent Nebula."_

"And the unofficial reason?" Shepard pressed.

The silence that followed was telling, but their answer finally came when Presley said, _"Admiral Hackett has informed us that Councilor Tevos is swearing up and down that the Citadel was just attacked by Humans. Until further notice, the Alliance is on lockdown. Alliance Brass is demanding a more in-depth answer, and Hackett's on his way to a meeting with Tevos now. Until further notice, we're going dark."_

At the tail-end of Presley's order, the _Normandy_'s VI added, _"Communications lock-out initiated,"_ and the channel was cut with a slight crackle as the _Normandy_'s systems went into a state of silent running.

***Invalid Data Entry***

"_Emergency nanite production runtime procedures completed. User Alert: rewriting nanite runtimes. Rewrite complete. Medical nannomite runtimes re-installed. Emergency medical treatment runtime procedures initiated. User Alert: critical fractures in clavicle, scapula, humerus, radius, and ulna bone structures of User's left arm detected. User Alert: critical fracturing of the femur, patella, tibia, and fibula of User's left leg detected. User Alert: critical fracturing of twelve ribs of User's ribcage_ _detected. User Alert: critical fracturing of User's sternum, sacrum, pubis, and ischium_ _detected. Initiating emergency medical repair runtimes. Estimated time till User regains structural integrity of bone structure: two hours."_

***Pegasus Galaxy (UNSC Defended Territory)***

**M9R-373 (Orbit)**

*_UNSC Daedalus_ (Combat Information Center)*

As the hyperspace window formed, Caldwell hit the button on his chair and said, "Sheppard, they're here. Get your men out of there!"

"_We need another ten minutes to get everyone through the Gate. Just hold them off!"_ Sheppard pleaded.

"We'll do our best," Caldwell replied as three _Aurora_-class Asuran Warships dropped out of hyperspace with six of their Cruisers.

"Should we open a channel?" Twitch asked.

"We're past the point of negotiations. Kleinman, you're weapons free," Caldwell ordered grimly.

"Weapons free, aye, sir," Captain Dave Kleinman replied in kind as he opened fire on the approaching ships.

"Colonel Sheppard, be advised. You have incoming hostile dropships," Twitch informed the ground team.

**M9R-373 (Surface)**

*Massanians Settlement (Perimeter)*

"_Colonel Sheppard, be advised. You have incoming hostile dropships,"_ the _Daedalus_' helmsman informed them.

"Shit," Sheppard swore as he pulled his helmet over his head and grabbed his rifle. "Defensive positions! Inbound hostiles!"

As the call to arms went out over the encrypted battle-net that connected their suits of armor and the dropships full of hostile soldiers started streaking in from orbit, the already panicking civilians only got worse. As the dropships got closer to the settlement, plasma flak cannons carried through the Gate by Pelicans turned their barrels skyward and let loose. Even as the 307s from the _Daedalus_ swarmed in behind the Asuran troop transports, the ground-based defenses were tearing into the forward ranks.

As the Asuran ships in orbit engaged the _Daedalus_, one of the Cruisers dropped into the atmosphere to engage the fighters and clear the airspace. As it did, six Vultures decloaked and opened fire with their jury-rigged beam weapons that McKay, Carter, and Widget had used to replace their plasma pulse cannons. The Cruiser, much to the utter lack of surprise from robots incapable of feeling such a thing, was torn apart by the lesser variant of a greater weapon used in sufficient number. As the ship crumbled and fell into the forest below it, the Pelicans hiding in the tree line took to the skies and started deploying more troops wherever they were needed most while adding their guns to the fight.

Sheppard's feet hit the ground running, Ronon and Teyla right behind him and a squad of the UNSC's Ground Force soldiers behind them. They reached the first of the Asuran dropships to have successfully landed just as the machines themselves were exiting the craft that resembled an elongated Jumper with thicker armor. Ronon cocked his arm back, gave a mighty heave, and sent a grenade sailing through the air. The explosive canister landed with a bounce before coming to a rest just inside of the gunship. The explosion gutted the craft, but the armored hull held. That only worked to shape the charge and send all the shrapnel and force slamming into the Asurans themselves. As the robots went down, temporarily stunned as their bodies regenerated, the others opened up on the nannite-bodies with their AR guns. The powerful, hard to kill robots were reduced to what looked like dust, but they all knew how deadly that 'dust' could be if it infected your body.

Another two Cruisers descended low into the atmosphere and the Vultures moved to intercept. As they did, a third Cruiser barreled in below them and launched an even larger swarm of dropships. The AA guns couldn't get them all when they were already so low, and the Vultures were too tied up to help. Add to that the capital ship-grade anti-shipping weapons that were giving the fighters hell, and the Asurans had just successfully outmaneuvered the UNSC Air Force.

Hundreds of Asuran soldiers started pouring out of the dropships that landed under the protection of the Cruisers, and blasts from the Cruisers' energy cannons started taking out the AA guns to clear even more airspace. As they did, a burst of energy and a soft glow off in the distance signaled the activation of a shield-dome over the Gate as a swarm of Jumpers decloaked to defend the only way they had of getting the civilians off the planet before they were captured by the Asurans and taken to be food for their Wraith masters.

The fighting kept up for roughly three minutes before Sheppard's worst fear was realized. He pulled the trigger on his AR gun, and the Asuran he hit full-on in the face just kept walking and shooting. The Asurans had circumvented their AR guns.

"Switch up!" Sheppard shouted over the battle-net as he swapped out his AR gun for his plasma rifle. He brought the butt up to his shoulder and fired off a barrage of plasma that caused the robot in his sights to stumble back with gaping holes in its body. Then its body shimmered and the nannites repaired the damage. "That is **so** not fair!" Sheppard exclaimed as he dove out of the path of the robot's return fire. "We've lost this one! Everyone within fifty meters of the Gate, fall back and evacuate! Everyone else, get to the nearest beam-out sight!" Sheppard ordered.

***Pegasus Galaxy (UEG-Claimed Territory)***

**Black Hole (Orbit)**

*_UEG Atlantis_ (Gate Tower)*

"Keep moving!"

"Up the stairs!"

"Make room for everyone else!" the armed soldiers called out as they directed the constant flow of civilians that was pouring in through the Gate. Once they were at the top of the tower, a Vulture hovering over the open hangar door beamed them out of the tower and into the massive, empty stretch of the main piers where the conversion-style hangar bays had been installed. Once they had everyone from the planet evacuated, they'd sort the survivors, but first they had to survive the evacuation.

When the soldiers defending the settlement started pouring through the wormhole in place of the civilians, they were whisked away by the tower's built-in beaming system and deposited in either the armory or the medical facilities depending on what they needed more. As the last group came stumbling in, these being the soldiers guarding the Gate itself, a ball of fire expanding from the event horizon consumed the last three soldiers and scorched the Gate Room floor.

The injured three were immediately beamed out to the infirmary while the others turned their weapons towards the advancing machines that were coming in through the Gate. The automated, heavy plasma turrets hummed to life and sent larger globs of plasma slamming **through** the Asurans as the Gate shield activated and enemy reinforcements were cut off.

As the Gate shut down, Weir, standing in the Gate Control Room, immediately asked, "Did they get a message off?"

"_Yes, but the gravitational field of the black hole masked it. The Asuran bodies don't have the transmitting power needed to broadcast to Asuras from orbit of a black hole,"_ Plato's voice replied in her ear, the recently revived AI a welcome re-addition to the city's defenses.

Weir nodded in reply then pressed the face of her 'watch.' She was immediately beamed out to her office, an identical flash of light depositing General Carter in the room with her. "What's the news?" Carter asked.

"The ground teams came back ahead of schedule, under fire, wounded, and followed closely by homicidal robots. I'll wait for Caldwell to get back before I start spreading that around," Weir replied.

"I hate the waiting game," Carter grumbled.

"That makes two of us," Weir agreed.

***Invalid Data Entry***

"_Structural integrity of User bone structure restored. Continuing emergency medical runtime procedures. User Alert: critical tearing of the User's masseter, deltoid, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, major biceps, major triceps, flexor carpi radialis, tensor fasciae latae, peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longs, soleus, trapezius, rhomboideus, latissimus, bicep femoris, semitendinosus, semimembransus anosus, and gastrocnecmius muscular systems_ _detected. Initiating emergency medical repair runtimes. Estimated time till User regains practical usage of muscular systems: three hours."_

***Serpent Nebula (Widow)***

**Citadel (Surface)**

*Presidium Tower (Asari Councilor's Chambers)*

"This is not only an insult to everything humanity's accomplished, it's also uncalled for considering your lack of evidence," Admiral Hackett said in a tone so low and well measured it was more frightening than if the man had been shouting.

"Please, let me explain!" Tevos insisted desperately. "Nobody but those present and the ones you told know about this!"

"How is that possible?" Salarian SPECTRE Agent Jondum Bau asked. "If Humans attacked the Citadel as you claimed, everyone in the galaxy would know."

"Not if they covered their tracks," Tevos replied.

"Even then, any attack on the Citadel would've made the news ten minutes after it happened," Hackett countered.

"Just stop talking!" Tevos nearly shouted. She then took a deep breath to recollect herself and pulled a scanner from her desk. She checked the room thoroughly, disposing of bugs as she went, then finally sat at her desk and brought up a gargled recording. "Whoever did this was very good," Tevos began as the recording played back.

*****Serpent Nebula (Widow)*****

****Citadel (Orbit)****

*****_**FGN Isai **_**(Combat Information Center) [one hour post transition]***

The _Isai_ dropped out of FTL deep within the nebula that housed the Citadel. The nebula hid their presence and disrupted the energy burst from the wormhole drive enough that their arrival would go unnoticed. Once sure they were, indeed, not to be challenged, the _Isai_ moved forward at maximum sublight speeds, her shield converting to a cloak as she went.

"We'll be at the Citadel in five minutes. What's the plan?" Ruk asked.

"I'll take a team over, and we'll make for the Citadel's control mainframe," Sieon replied determinedly.

"You will need the best amongst us," Wy'H'ofacion said with an approving nod. "Take Rheataela as well. You must leave behind no evidence that we were here. The rest is up to you."

"I can carry over five," Sieon said. "With myself and Rheataela, that leaves room for three others."

"If I may be so bold, I suggest Defoli, Wixilass, and Argisir. They were the best biotics we had to have survived the Second Coming," Ruk suggested.

"An excellent recommendation," Wy'H'ofacion mused.

"Then have them ready," Sieon said before leaving the CIC.

"He is either determined to alienate us all, or he is truly desperate," Ruk observed.

"When you learn the true strength of the bound that binds us to our mates, Young One, you will stop making such judgmental comments as to the mental state of those who have lost the other half of their soul," Wy'H'ofacion replied in a stern, yet kind tone.

****Citadel (Surface)****

***Control Tower (Control Room)***

The arrival of the five, heavily armed Humans to the Control Room went unnoticed by most, but not all. As fate would have it, the one who noticed their arrival was an Asari that belonged to an elite group of fighters. However, had anyone told Tela Vasir that these Humans were anything **but**, she would've approached them with more caution. Not knowing this pivotal fact, Vasir Charged into the heart of their group and let her Barrier explode out from her body.

The Nova, much to her utter shock, didn't so much as cause the five figures to stumble. Instead, one of them reached towards her, the female's own biotics flaring, and Vasir found herself promptly embedded in a wall on the far side of the Presidium. At least her action caused the others present to spring into motion.

As the other aliens present in the Control Tower started mobilizing against them, Sieon grit his teeth. This was a delay, and every second Rana was in the hands of the Demons was another second they had to torture her, to change her. He would die before he let that happen.

As a hail of gunfire poured in from all sides, Rheataela moved closer to the center of their group while Defoli snapped a Barrier into place that deflected the mass of incoming fire with all the ease of a Furling biotic. As he did, Sieon and Wixilass sent constant-fields into the clusters of enemies. Singularities, Pulls, and Lifts were then detonated by Argisir's Throws, Shockwaves, Warps, and Kicks.

The five of them marched with a single-minded intensity born of both their hive-minded nature and their common cause. They reached the control mainframe and Sieon stepped up to the podium. With a flick of his thoughts, he ordered the walkway to extend and the holographic interface that controls all of the Citadel's higher functions came online. As he worked the controls, the others held off the horde of loyal soldiers doing their duty.

"Where would you hide it?" Sieon asked his deceased brother as he flicked through screen after screen and found nothing of what he needed.

The Citadel was designed by Widget, the real one, and built by Furling hands. They had used it as a means of monitoring and controlling the Relay Network. To find Rana, he needed the monitoring systems, not the network controls, but only the controls were present here.

"Where would **she** hide it?" Sieon amended as he realized that Widget had designed the superstructure of the Citadel, not its computers.

That was Rahgot's area of expertise. She had, after all, designed the bulk of the systems still used to operate the _Nex_.

"Here, I have it," Sieon said as he finally located the subsystem that monitored the operation of the Relays.

"How will you track a single ship in a whole galaxy that uses the Relays as their only means of FTL?" Defoli asked as he continued to hold back the incoming fire with his Barrier.

"The Demons created the Relays," Sieon explained. "They use them with a far greater level of accuracy than any other species could ever hope to."

"You're looking for one Relay amongst hundreds, if not **thousands**, that was used with a greater-than-average level of accuracy?"

"Yesss," Sieon replied with a snake's hiss at the end of his word. "And I have found it," he added while pointing to one Relay that had received an IFF that allowed it to be used with absolute accuracy.

"I know that cluster," Wixilass mused. "I was born on a world there. It was amongst the first of our holdings to fall to the Demons. We will encounter a great difficulty reaching this place. I know for a fact that the star in that cluster emits a disruptive energy signal that makes standard navigation difficult, DRADIS inoperable, and will most certainly render our wormhole drive inoperable. We will need to approach using the Relay, but that risks them detecting our approach."

"Then we will have to make the trip using standard FTL which will lake two days at best possible speed," Argisir noted.

"Which is likely the reason the Demos have taken up residence there," Rheataela noted as those that were attacking them all froze in place with glazed-over looks on their faces. She had taken over their minds and was now actively altering their memories. All that was left were the cameras.

"I have removed the digital evidence of our presence as best I can, but I am far from being a computer technician," Sieon noted as he closed the mainframe and stepped off the extended walkway, the platform collapsing behind him. "Clear their minds and we shall leave."

"I am done," Rheataela said as she let out a deep breath and the room of people fell into a deep sleep. Those that were wounded would have only a memory of having fought a battle a few days ago that they only now had reached the proper facility to receive medical care for. Those who were unwounded would simply go about their days as if they had never stopped moving. Those on the floor would think they had tripped while those still standing would simply think nothing had happened. "They will awaken in five minutes without even the memory of being asleep…"

She trailed off as a new figure walked into the room and stood still at the sight of the five aliens and the room full of what appeared to be dead people. The alien made a meek sound and turned to leave, but Wixilass had the blue-skinned alien in a Stasis field before it could take more than a single step. Rheataela walked over to the alien and grabbed her by her chin.

"She is strong," she noted as she forced the blue alien to meet her eyes. "Her species has minor telepathic abilities like the Nox, but not for the same reasons," Rheataela observed as she tried to break the alien's mind. "She is strong," she said again, "but not strong enough."

The alien in the Furling's grasp stopped resisting as she lost control of her body. Unseen by the other four due to the woman's back being to them, the alien's eyes became orbs of the purest black. As they did, Rheataela could feel something tugging on her very soul. She released the alien, both mentally and physically, and stepped back in shock.

"What is it?" Argisir asked.

"She…" Rheataela began before trailing off. "It is nothing. We must leave before others come as she did."

"Then gather together. There is much to do and not very much time," Sieon demanded.

***Serpent Nebula (Widow)***

**Citadel (Surface)**

*Presidium Tower (Asari Councilor's Chambers) [present]*

The other four aliens joined the fifth that was standing in the same place Shepard had stood when he was made a SPECTRE. Once they were all together, they vanished and the recording cleared up.

"Most of this is trash," Bau began.

"But they don't speak a language from Earth, and anyone with one working eye can see that they have three fingers," Hackett added adamantly.

"Forget the blame game!" Vasir snapped angrily. "Anyone who can do this needs to be stopped!"

"I've fought alongside Agent Vasir before. She's not an easy person to beat and they took her down in one hit," Bau said in an agreeing tone.

"What did they do to you?" Hackett asked, his question directed at Tevos.

"They tried to erase my memories," Tevos replied with a shiver. "Look, I have no clue what's going on, and the image quality was reduced enough that you only get a good look at what's happening every five seconds. I know they're biotics stronger than any Asari, I know they look Human, I know they have three fingers, I know they speak a language I've never heard before, and I know that I'm the only one who remembers **anything** about what happened, but my memory's about as foggy as the tape is. I had Agent Bau remove the recording from the Citadel's systems entirely and I'm showing **you** this before the other Councilors because I still owe you for…" Tevos trailed off before shaking her head and continuing. "For now, the only people who know about this are either present here, the ones who attacked us, or the members of the Alliance Brass that you informed."

"Let me see the OSD," Bau requested. When Tevos handed him the device, he worked his technical magic and cleared up the image the best he could. "Interesting," Bau mused.

"What do you see?" Vasir asked as she looked over the Salarian's shoulder.

"This," Bau replied as he cleared up one section of the tape and pointed to a galaxy map floating in the area that separated the Councilors from whoever they were talking to. "The leader's pointing at this cluster," the Salarian elaborated.

"That's the Sentry Omega cluster," Hackett informed them. "Shepard's running an Op against the Geth in the Armstrong Nebula not far from there."

Tevos shook her head in response to the unasked question. "Sending Shepard would be a mistake. Right now this is still being classified as a Human attack on the Citadel. If we send a Human to investigate and this goes public before we find any answers, it'll look like we're trying to cover it up."

"Either way, if you want answers, we should go there," Vasir said determinately.

"No," Tevos shook her head.

"But we **need** answers!" Vasir stressed.

"And I agree, but I'm not willing to let you get back out there so easily, Vasir. You took a concerning blow to your head and your recovery is far from done," Tevos countered.

"I will go," Bau said with a nod.

"Going alone is suicide," Hackett noted. "Sending Bau and Shepard can hardly be considered a cover-up and the _Normandy_'s the only stealth ship with SPECTRE authority."

"As much as I respect the job Agent Shepard has done since his appointment to the SPECTREs, Saren is still too great a threat to be ignored," Bau countered diplomatically. "He is needed elsewhere, Admiral, but you are correct in that going alone is too dangerous. There is a Captain in the Salarian STG I trust explicitly. His team will be all the reinforcements I need."

"Admiral Hackett, I apologize for the… poorly worded message I sent you. I didn't mean to imply that this was an attack ordered by the Systems Alliance. I simply needed to make you aware of the situation, and I realize now that my own mental trauma may have caused a lapse in judgment leading to a misworded warning coming across as an accusation," Tevos said in a non-diplomatic, practically pleading, purely sincere tone.

"Given the circumstances and your use of discretion, I'll let it slide," Hackett replied gruffly. "For now, the galaxy thinks we're running drills to counter the increased Geth activity in the Traverse following their assault on Eden Prime. Given this recent development, we'll maintain that ruse for the next month and run a full set of drills since things are clearly changing and readiness will be essential to survival. Have a nice day, Councilor," Hackett said before turning to leave.

Once Hackett was gone, Vasir turned to Tevos and said, "That man scares me."

"He's the leader of the Alliance's military power," Bau countered. "If he wasn't a frightening man, I'd question how the Humans managed to beat the Batarians as badly as they did despite being outnumbered, surrounded, and technologically outclassed at the time of their victory."

"I realize this is all very sudden, but I'll need you to leave immediately, Bau. We need to get to the bottom of this, and we need to do it fast or we're going to have another war on our hands!" Tevos insisted. "As for you, Vasir, do as the doctors say and rest. I'd hate to see you permanently crippled because you refused to lay down and let the swelling in your brain go down."

"As you wish, Councilor," Vasir replied with a respectful nod, but a hardness to her tone that said she was far from happy.

She and Bau then left and Tevos' hand immediately dropped to her stomach. She didn't need a doctor to tell her what her body already knew. She had taken from that alien what she needed to make a child. An accidental melding… she hadn't had one of those in over six-hundred years!

***Invalid Data Entry***

"_Practical usage of User muscular systems restored. Continuing emergency medical runtime procedures. User Alert: swelling of the User's brain_ _detected. Initiating emergency medical repair runtimes. Estimated time until User regains basic neurological functions: ten minutes. Estimated time until User regains standard neurological functions: thirty minutes. Estimated time until User regains higher neurological functions: one hour. Estimated time until User regains advanced neurological functions: one hour, thirty minutes. Estimated time until User regains full neurological functionality: two hours. Estimated time until User regains consciousness… Error: internal neurological stimulus detected. Recalculating estimated timeframe for full functionality restoration. Recalculation complete. Estimated time until user regains full neurological functionality: one hour._

"_User Alert: hull integrity compromised. Initiating repair sequence. Error: nannotrite repair systems offline. User Alert: nannotrite stores critical. User Alert: rewriting nannomite runtimes. Rewrite complete. Nannotrite runtimes installed. Initiating emergency nannotrite runtime procedures. Estimated time until hull integrity is restored: one hour."_

***Pegasus Galaxy (UEG-Claimed Territory)***

**Black Hole (Orbit)**

*_UEG Atlantis_ (War Room)*

"It is this recent discovery of the essential duality of this particular stem of the nano-sub-code that has opened up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to the expedient and permanent deactivation of the inter-nannite bonds…" McKay began before Weir interrupted him.

"Rodney…"

"Yeah, I-I'll let you know when I'm ready to take questions. Thank you," McKay counter-interrupted.

"Have you created an anti-Replicator weapon or not?" Ellis demanded.

"If-if you just let me continue, I-I think you'll have a better understanding of the complexity that I'm…" McKay tried to press on.

"Yes or no, Doctor," Ellis demanded again.

"Well… no," McKay admitted.

Clearing her throat, Carter entered the conversation. "All right, we move on to Plan B."

"What, just like that?" Weir asked. "Shouldn't we try and give Rodney some time?"

"The Replicators are abducting every Human colony they can find in an attempt to keep the Wraith's food supply supplemented, Todd is bunkering down for an extended campaign, we're playing catch up, and the Wraith are playing the offensive role while we try to defend more planets than we have ships. We can't wait. We have to act now," Caldwell insisted.

"But Plan B… it's not a good plan," McKay countered.

"Oh no?" Ellis asked rhetorically.

"Sure we have access to a whole fleet of ships equipped with the Asgard's plasma beam weapons, which are, given, very, very powerful, but they still can't destroy the Replicators," McKay replied regardless.

"Well, we don't have to destroy them, we just destroy their ships. I mean, from what I understand, once they're exposed to the harsh environment of space they'll essentially be neutralized," Caldwell half-asked to which Ellis nodded.

"Well," McKay countered. "'Essentially neutralized' and 'neutralized' are two very different things."

"Back when we blasted Niam into space, he froze solid. We didn't have a problem until **we** warmed him up," Sheppard pointed out.

"That's what I'm saying! Look, your way leaves Replicator cells inactive, just waiting around for someone to reactivate them. My way shuts them down for good," McKay insisted.

"But our way is actually operational. You know, come to think of it, what exactly **is** your way? From what I understand, you haven't even gotten your programming done yet, let alone a delivery method," Ellis countered smugly.

"Well, you didn't let me finish my presentation," McKay replied while reaching for the remote to his presentation.

"I think I got the gist of it," Ellis assured him.

"Really?" McKay asked in an affronted fashion.

"Rodney…" Sheppard said admonishingly.

"No, no, I'm just wondering when the Colonel here became a math and physics expert!" McKay declared angrily.

"Doctor, you came into this meeting knowing that you had nothing, but instead of just saying that like a man, you thought that you'd dazzle us with a lot of fancy talk and think that we were too dumb to notice," Ellis shot back.

"Oh, so now you're questioning my manhood?!" McKay asked indignantly.

"All right, that is enough!" Weir all but shouted.

"No! He just told…" McKay tried to counter before Sheppard cut him off.

"Rodney! Move on," Sheppard said in warning.

"Look, I think we've got this tracking system the AIs developed down. We can peg where they're going to be within a thirty minute window, and, given current data, we've got at least twelve hours before any of their ships are even close to another inhabited planet. Just give me and the AIs like…ten hours to get this shut-down program working. If I don't, then you can just feel free to go ahead and open up on them with your beam weapons," McKay practically pleaded.

"All right. You have ten hours. Go," Caldwell ordered.

"There's no point," Widget instantly countered with a shake of his head. "I have worked with nannites enough in my life that I'm essentially a self-trained nano-engineer. I cannot figure out how to shut off the Replicators all at once, and with the Wraith having access to the Core, any virus I can make will be undone the moment they discover it. No offense to Doctor McKay, but if **I** can't figure this out in ten hours, then neither can he."

"I take offense to that," McKay huffed.

"I don't really care if you do or not, McKay," Widget shot back irritably. "I have worked with Furling nannites for fifty-million years. You've been working on Asuran nannites for a couple of months. If I can't make headway with their programming, neither can you no matter how badly you want to be the hero. Whether you want to admit it or not, I'm smarter than you are. I've been learning longer, I've learned more, and my brain is larger than your entire body. I have more computational power in **one** of my servers than you, Zelenka, and the rest of the people here have put together, and I have an entire bank of those servers. If I can't figure this out in ten hours, you can't either. We need. Another. Plan!"

"Then go figure one out!" Carter ordered angrily. "You claim to be the smartest person here, so do us all a favor and use that server bank of yours to figure out how to get rid of the Replicators!"

"What do you think I've been doing since we got stranded here? I have more than one body, Sam, I can multitask better than you give me credit for," Widget shot back as he, nevertheless, got up to leave. "You coming?" he asked McKay when the man didn't move to follow.

"Why not?" McKay asked in a disappointed tone.

"I don't understand how you guys put up with…" Ellis began before Weir stopped him with a hard look and an aggressive step forward.

"If you **ever** talk like that to someone under my command again, you will not be welcome on this base, Colonel. Is that clear?" Weir said in a 'no two ways about it' tone.

Ellis actually looked slightly nervous under Weir's glare, but still managed to sound self-assured when he answered her. "I don't think you have that authority, Doctor."

"The UNSC may control the **military** part of this expedition, but make no mistake, Colonel. The UNSC still answers to the UEG and I **am** the UEG in Pegasus. You cross me and you'll hold all of your briefings over an encrypted channel from a light-year away. If the _Apollo_ ever needs repairs, you'll be stuck in a fighter and left a light-year away while the ship and its crew are tended to. You piss me off, Colonel, and I'll have you reassigned to Earth's defense fleet. You and your crew will spend the rest of your careers sitting in orbit of a world so thoroughly protected that the Ori can't even touch it anymore. You give me a reason to not want you here, Abe, and I will personally see to it that you are black-listed in the UNSC so thoroughly that your great-great grandchildren will still be suffering from your choices long after your body's returned to dust!" Weir assured him in a dark tone. "Is that clear?" she asked again.

"Yes, it is," Ellis relented.

"Good. We're done here. Thank you," Weir said before leaving.

"What is her problem?" Ellis asked once Weir was gone.

"Where do I even begin?" Carter countered in a 'did you really just ask that' tone. "Your first meeting with her, you completely ignored her despite the fact that she was right about not attacking the Replicators before we had the PWARW ready, then you keep insulting her and her people, you act like she's not there, and you keep ignoring every legitimate concern she has. If it were me in charge, you would've been banned from the city already."

"You want my advice, Abe? Make amends before you cause irreparable damage to my operations here," Caldwell said. "And that goes for all of you. Doctor Weir is in the position of leader of this expedition for a reason. She kept her people alive for a whole year without any contact with Earth. Because of her, the _Atlantis_ Expedition managed to overcome obstacles that would've otherwise lead to their defeat. Who else would've had the courage to allow theirself to be captured by the Genii for the sake of securing the nuclear weapons needed to save _Atlantis_ from the Wraith? Who amongst you could've held the line against the Second Siege of _Atlantis_ for as long as she did without any reinforcements? Remember that General O'Neill gave her this posting and he does not play favorites. Dismissed."

*_UEG Atlantis_ (Research and Development Labs)*

"I don't get it!" McKay exclaimed angrily. "We tried reconfiguring their stand-down code. We tried programming the nannites to turn themselves off. **Something** should have worked!"

"They are a very complex and ingenious design," Widget replied casually as he just sat there calmly, his legs crossed together, eyes closed, a ball of biotic energy glowing between his hands as he meditated.

"Yeah, well I thought I was ingeniouser," McKay shot back irritably.

Widget opened his eyes, the normally normally-colored ocular orbs glowing white with energy and an eyebrow cocked in question.

"Yes, I know that's not a word, Mister… Creepy-Eyes. All right, look, maybe we could figure out some way to use the anti-replicator guns somehow. We-we could… uh… jury rig the _Nex_'s shield grid to-to… em-emit a, uh… an AR field. It won't be planetary scaled, but ten kilometers of Replicator-free surface gives us room to maneuver, right?" McKay stuttered on.

"From what you have told me, they've almost certainly become immune to it," Widget countered as he closed his eyes again. Good thing too. That was creepy. "This last battle should be proof enough of that, and, even if they haven't, the _Nex_ is too large a target to survive any amount of time in hostile air-space without her shield. Your plan not only requires that **a** ship enters the battle without a shield, but that the **least** maneuverable, only FTL **incapable** ship in the fleet take that risk. My hull is thick, yes. My armor is advanced, yes, but surviving the drones the Asurans will be firing from the surface without the shield will be impossible. Even my kinetic barrier lacks the power to divert a drone off course which is why we upgraded to the plasma shield to begin with. That, and your plan still leaves us with the problem of getting all of the Replicators in one place at the same time, and that only **increases** the risks we'd be taking with a shield-less ship."

In the silence that followed his words, Widget could sense the storm clouds parting in McKay's mind as an idea shined down on him like a ray of light. "What is it?" the AI-turned-organic asked.

"I think I've got my first good idea in three weeks!" McKay replied excitedly.

"Speak, Human, or I will ravage your mind to find the answers I seek," Widget said in an irritated tone. Not being 'allowed' to read peoples' minds was just plain torture for a Furling.

"Our old anti-replicator technology relied on disrupting the bonds between each individual nannite-cell. They just… uh… collapsed into a pile of dust, right?" McKay asked.

"I'm familiar with the technology, yes," Widget replied dryly.

"Right. Well, the thinking was always to continue down that line, to… uh… break the bonds, to turn them off… uh… sever their connections to one another. Because dust we can deal with, right?"

"Hurry to the point, organic, you're starting to bore me."

"We do the opposite!" McKay exclaimed. "Instead of severing their connections, we significantly dial up their attraction to one another. We turn each cell into an incredibly powerful nannite magnet. You know, one cell attracts another cell, those two attract two more, and, as more and more nannite cells bond to the core group, they become stronger and stronger and stronger to the point where every Replicator cell on the planet, in orbit, all of them!, are massed in this… in this… in this giant, super-dense blob!"

"That's… unexpectedly brilliant," Widget admitted as he uncrossed his legs and rose to his feet on a field of antigravity. "Now a new problem arises."

"And what's that?" McKay asked in an irritated fashion.

"What do we do with the blob? Aren't we in danger of creating some Godzilla-sized Super-Replicator?"

"No," McKay replied in a tone that said, 'I'm sure,' while his face said, 'I'm anything but.' "At least… not at first," he amended. "Look, this is not their normal form of bonding. I mean, it'll take them some time to adapt, to… to figure out how to function within the new parameters."

"How much time?"

"Well, I mean, I'd hate to speculate."

"Oh, since when?"

"Look, it doesn't matter anyways, because long before that happens, they're going to fuse together so tightly, they will be rendered essentially inert."

"Yes, but 'essentially neutralized' and 'neutralized' are two very different things," Widget countered by quoting McKay's exact words to Ellis.

"Really?" McKay asked in an irritated tone. "You're awfully childish for being 'older than the Human species'." In reply to the accusation, Widget simply shrugged. "Remember, this bond is occurring on a subspace level…" McKay pressed on before being cut off.

"Which helps them get past the normal repulsive force between nuclei…" Widget added as he caught on to McKay's line of thought.

"To the point where their electrons are fusing with their protons, and once that starts happening, they're toast!"

"Yeah, but you're talking about neutron star levels of density!" Widget stressed.

"Precisely!" McKay countered in an excited tone that completely ignored the concern in the AI's own.

"Wow. Yeah, it sounds crazy, but… this could work," Widget admitted as he re-ran the numbers in his head. "There is still one more problem though."

"Why do you keep saying that?" McKay asked indignantly.

"Because you're not thinking this through entirely," Widget replied. "The Replicators are scattered across the galaxy. If we do this and we miss even one Replicator ship, their entire species gets reborn in a week tops. We have to hit them all at once, and that means getting the Replicator Fleet to fall back to Asuras, **then** implementing your plan, and that means facing down the guns of an entire fleet of Ancient Warships, most of which will have ZPMs!"

"Well, Ellis is so damn trigger happy I don't think he'll have a problem with convincing them it's the right thing to do," McKay said dismissively.

"Just because Ellis is an asshole doesn't mean you get to make a plan that needlessly risks the lives of all of the soldiers in the Pegasus Space Force! You do that, and you're becoming the very person you hate. Look, you have a good plan, but there are holes in it. That's fine! All we have to do is plug them up. First and foremost is getting the Replicators all in orbit of Asuras at the same time. I can do that."

"You can?" Weir asked as she walked into the lab. "I thought you said that any virus you uploaded into their Collective would be easily countered."

"How long have you been standing there?" McKay asked.

"It will be," Widget replied with a nod while ignoring McKay, "if I'm not subtle. A command as obvious as 'shut down' is easily seen and stopped, but a command as simple as 'regroup?' Not even the Wraith will think to stop that order from going through. They'll probably write it off as the Asurans needing to update their backups or something like that… come to think of it, I'll write the virus to tell the Wraith that it's for an update and they'll allow it. That gets the Asurans back over Asuras without the Wraith suspecting anything. Then there's the Wraith."

"What about them?" McKay asked.

"They represent an unknown factor. We don't know what the Asurans are doing to those Hives, but we do know that it needs to stop. Even with the forces we can bring to bear, there are thirty _Auroras_ for us to fight and the Nine only know how many Cruisers and support craft they have. And now we have these unknown Hiveships and their unknown capabilities. We need to be careful here or we could end up sending a lot of good people to their deaths," Caldwell replied as he also joined them, Carter right behind him.

"What is this? 'Eavesdrop on Rodney' day?"

"We need the _Nex_," Sam more stated than suggested, McKay, once again, ignored. "I know you don't want to bring _Atlantis_ into this fight, I know the _Nex_'s FTL drive is still offline, and I know this will be risky, but you have to realize that…"

"I agree," Caldwell interrupted her. "Even if _Atlantis_ just drops the _Nex_ off and leaves again, we'll need the firepower that the only Super Dreadnought in the UNSC Fleet brings to bear. An extra two Grodins, the two largest SCICs in the fleet, and a dark matter energy beam that can bypass the strongest shields we've seen to date… That's not something you leave at home when you're facing off against a technology unknown force that outnumbers you."

"Even then, keeping _Atlantis_ close will be necessary to assure our survival. If the _Nex_ loses its shields, we'll need _Atlantis_ to evac the ship, and, let's face it, the city is as much a weapon of war as the _Gaia_," Widget piped in.

"How do we make it work?" Weir asked. "Just upload a new command into their base code?"

"No," Widget shook his head. "A command that complex would be seen by the Asurans themselves as a threat to their existence long before it could take effect, and even if the Asurans somehow missed a change to their code that alters them that fundamentally, Todd won't."

"I have a better idea," McKay replied before leading the way out of one lab and into another. "Tah-dah!" McKay declared as he showed them to a strange looking table.

"What's this?" Carter asked as she ran her hand along the table.

"This? This has been in storage since we found it a while ago. The Ancients used it as part of their research into the creation of Human-form Replicators," McKay explained.

"What are you suggesting?" Carter asked as she jerked her hand away from the table.

"We have the technology and the understanding of nannite coding. I mean, we have the Ancients' blueprints, for crying out loud!" McKay half-replied.

"You want to make your own Replicator?" Caldwell asked in a 'over my dead body' tone.

"Well, not a whole one. Just a block of nannite cells say, you know, yay big," McKay replied while mimicking a cube with his hands.

"Sorry, McKay," Widget said with another shake of his head. "I know you're on a roll, but this won't work. A cube?" Widget shook his head again. That motion was starting to piss Rodney off.

"What?" McKay asked in an off-put tone.

"The Ancients were the most retarded geniuses I've ever had the misfortune of knowing," Widget explained. "If there's one thing I know about them, it's that their tech will do what **they** designed it to do and not what **you** want it to do. Observe," Widget said before placing his hand on the table. The table instantly lit up and a liquid-like substance flowed over it before coalescing into a cube in the center of the table. A second later, there was a beeping alarm and the cube dissolved back into its liquid state. "The bare, minimalistic of nannites needed to perform your purpose won't work here. Like I said, Ancients were retarded geniuses, which is part of the reason they're all dead."

"Widget!" Sam said in a 'watch what you're saying tone.'

"_What? He's right,"_ Plato interrupted with a huff as his avatar joined them. _"Seriously, the Ancients from the _Tria_**knew**__ they were the __**last**__ of their people in this realm and they __**still**__ just sat there and __**let**__ the Replicators approach them without stopping the ship before it reached orbit. That's just __**asking**__ to go extinct!"_

"Look, point in fact is that we'll need a whole Replicator," Widget said in an attempt to keep an argument from starting.

"I don't know about this…" Sam countered uncertainly.

"Sam, think of who you're talking to," Widget said indignantly. "I've worked with nannites for fifty. Million. Years! You trusted me to upgrade the _Gaia_ for the Battle for Earth using a swarm of nannites when you barely knew me. Now we know each other well enough to be friends. All I'm asking is that you extend that trust to making a Replicator that isn't hostile to organics."

"He has a point," Caldwell shrugged.

"We'd be dealing with a blank slate; a mindless Replicator with no personality. I could program it to think it's **anyone**," Widget added.

"Fine, but we do this very, **very** carefully. Keep the thing mindless and inactive until we reach Asuras, then turn it on and beam it down," Sam relented.

"Okay, but we're still not done planning," Widget kept going as he programmed the table to start building their brain-dead Replicator.

"What is it?" Caldwell asked.

"The Replicators on the planet will be affected fairly quickly, but there will be a definite delay until there's enough mass to attract the nannite-cells in orbit," McKay replied.

"So the ships that Widget's going to program to return will have plenty of time to escape," Weir said in an annoyed tone. "Doesn't that counter the whole purpose of doing this?"

"It does," Widget agreed with a nod.

"Unless we disable or destroy them," McKay finished.

"They have thirty **known** capital ships and an unknown number of support craft. We have **eight**," Caldwell pointed out.

"Nine if you include _Atlantis_, and the ships we have are equipped with the most powerful weapons the Asgard, Ancients, and Furlings have ever created," Widget countered. "They only have drones…"

"Which can bypass our shields," Carter interrupted.

"… and energy cannons," Widget finished. "That, and I might be able to prevent the drones from making it through the shields."

"I imagine that, if this was simple, it would've been done already, so… what's the catch?" Weir asked.

"A massive increase in power draw that would require every ship in the fleet to be equipped with either an FSR or a ZPM," Carter replied in a 'why even mention it' tone.

"I mention it because we have a source of ZPMs that you're automatically taking out of consideration because of where we'd be getting them from," Widget countered.

As if the two could read each other's mind, even though everyone present knew that only the Furling could perform such a task, Sam's face lit up in utter shock. "You want to pull the ZPMs from Earth's PDS!"

"No," Caldwell instantly said with a shake of his head.

"Why not?" McKay asked. "_Atlantis_ already has a full complement, the _Gaia_ was given the _Cursor_'s ZedPM after the Battle for Earth, both the _Daedalus_ and _Apollo_ already have ZedPMs, and the _Nex_ doesn't need one. That means that we only need **four**! There are **six** primary satellites over Earth each equipped with **five** ZedPMs that are always hooked into the satellite's power grid. There's an additional **two** in every primary satellite on standby for backup. That's twelve ZedPMs sitting in orbit of Earth doing absolutely nothing, and it's not like we're asking to **keep** them. We'll give them back after the Replicators have been dealt with."

"You're asking me to put Earth at risk," Caldwell pointed out.

"Well, we **are** going to be running the risk of creating Replizilla. I guess it's just one of those missions," Carter said with a deep sigh.

Caldwell thought it over for a moment before replying. "You're right, Sam. This is going to be one of **those** missions," Caldwell said with a deep sigh. "I'll send the request up the chain of command."

"I'll start writing the macro we'll need to solidify the plasma barriers enough to seal the micro-fissures. Even if I can't get rid of them entirely, the extra energy will be enough for me to seal the rifts enough to prevent a drone from slipping through your shields," Widget said with a nod of approval.

"Quick question," Weir said as the other two left to perform whatever duties that needed doing. "I heard from Admiral Nishiike that his tactical officer managed to intercept drones fired at them by the Asurans by firing their own drones at the approaching swarm and we know that drones were used by the _South Park_ during the Battle for Earth as a means of stopping the Ori's beam weapons. Doesn't that meant that drones can be stopped by point defense weapons?"

"Yes and no," McKay replied.

"The drones are highly maneuverable. If you remember, the _Orion_'s drones dodged the hundred or so Darts trying to intercept them during the Battle of the Void. They're smart missiles in the truest sense of the word. They're piloted by your thoughts so they're as smart as the person operating them. Long story short, the Replicators will be able to dodge your railgun-based point defenses and your energy-based point defenses don't have enough kick to destroy a drone. The energy coating on drones is designed to bypass shields," Widget picked up his explanation. "The white-light the Asgard gave you won't be enough to destroy the drones before they hit the shield. They'll reduce the energy the drones have and make it harder for them to penetrate the shield barrier, but they won't stop the drones. Either way you put it, we still need the ZPMs."

Weir turned to the Replicator taking form on the table. "Will this work?" she asked.

"We'll know soon enough," Widget replied with a smile that was meant to reassure her.

When Weir simply looked unhappy with his response, McKay added, "I'll run a simulation based off of what we know about the Replicators."

"_Which is to say he'll order me to do it,"_ Plato added as he, once again, appeared in the room. _"I can pull everything the Ancients know about the Replicators out of the database and account for the alterations to their code that we know of, account for any self-modification they did that allowed them to attack the Ancients, and factor in orbital distances of the fleet, the attraction value of the nannite cluster… things like that. I'll have it ready in about an hour."_

"Which will closely coincide with when I'll have the Replicator ready," Widget added.

"So should I write that macro you said you'd write?" McKay asked, the smugness entirely gone from his tone as everyone entered 'fight or flight' mode.

"If you would please," Widget replied as Weir turned to leave. "You can use the _Nex_'s servers if you want. I think Plato's going to be keeping _Atlantis_' mainframe preoccupied for a while."

"Guess I'll head to the hangar bay then," McKay affirmed before leaving one AI to grow another AI.

And the fact that he was fine with that statement was telling.

***Invalid Data Entry***

"_Hull integrity restored. Rebooting core systems."_

…

"_Core systems reboot complete. Core systems restored. Running diagnostics systems."_

…

"_Diagnostic systems check completed. Error: UGPS offline. User intercession necessary. System Alert: User unconscious. User Alert: this unit will enter hibernation mode until User neurological activity has reached desired levels. Scans of the User's surroundings will be conducted periodically."_

***Milky Way Galaxy (Langaran Territory)***

**Langara (Orbit)**

*_UNSC Achilles_ (Combat Information Center) [one day later]*

"I'll admit, I'm impressed," Jonas Quinn nodded approvingly at the size of the ship he was standing on. "Those are some big guns."

"Those?" Colonel Cameron Mitchell asked while nodding to the massive, dual barreled cannons Jonas had indicated. "Those are the ion cannons. Designed for range and punch. Instead of melting the hull, they dig into the armor and gut the target."

"And the smaller ones?"

"Plasma cannons. Pretty much what you'd expect from encountering the Goa'uld, but stronger because of superior generators and Asgard-based enhancements to the design. Still, it's the first fully operational plasma cannon design we ever produced so there's bound to be room for improvement."

"And to think, the last time I saw Earth you had just gotten the _Prometheus_ finished enough to launch," Jonas said before turning to Cam. "I can't thank you enough for being here. The price the Jaffa were asking for would've put a big enough dent in the banks across the planet to leave a lot of people living in the streets, hungry, and cold."

"Still doesn't sound like the Jaffa I know," Mitchell mused.

"I said Jaffa, not Free Jaffa Nation," Jonas countered. "We couldn't get our request through to the Jaffa Councilors in the time we had. The earliest they could've heard our request is sometime next month. We had to look for alternative options, and, to be honest, I didn't even consider Earth as our **third** choice. Sure you probably would've agreed to send troops through to reinforce our own, but even one ship in orbit would've rendered that useless."

"Well, next time just keep us in mind for your first choice," Mitchell said reassuringly.

"I'll have to do that, Colonel," Jonas replied with an uneasy smile.

"Hoping for someone else?" Mitchell asked.

"I hope it's not offensive to answer that with a 'yes'," Jonas answered somewhat awkwardly.

"It's not. I came in after your time," Mitchell assured him. "O'Neill and Carter have actually both been promoted, Teal'c went back to Dakara but visits every week, and Daniel's stuck behind a desk rewriting Earth's text books."

"Sir, we've reached the two minute mark," Captain Powell, Cam's helmsman, informed him.

"Start bringing the weapons online and get the birds ready to launch," Mitchell ordered smoothly. "Status check," he added as he took his chair.

"Sublights are in the green," one technician began before the CIC was filled with one person speaking after another.

"Coolant systems are running without problems."

"Weapons are charging. ETA; thirty seconds."

"Life-support is clear."

"The hyperdrive's still operational," another technician added in a 'why do I have to say this when we're not prepping for a jump' kind of tone.

"Shields are charged and ready."

The systems check continued on for a full minute before all of the system statuses had been called out. While not a standard requirement for a ship before a battle, Cam was working with a crew full of newbies. He had to keep them on their toes, teach them the ropes, and that meant extra precautions were taken like checking every system before an engagement instead of just the battle systems.

"You think this will come to blows?" Jonas asked.

"You don't send that many ship against a planet rumored to be defenseless unless you know there's something worth pissing us off located on the surface," Mitchell replied.

"You think they know about the naquadria?" Jonas inquired worriedly.

"We're about to find out," Mitchell answered. "What's the status of the other two?"

"All of their systems check, sir. They're good to go," Powell replied.

"ETA?"

"Unknowns will be dropping out of hyperspace in t-minus ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four…" Powell counted down.

"Steel yourselves. I know this is your first live-fire, hostile engagement, but remember your training and you'll be fine," Mitchell said into the fleet-wide battle-net.

"One… subspace rupture detected," Powell rattled off as a massive hyperspace window formed before the _Achilles_.

"Get me a channel," Mitchell ordered as twenty-plus Ha'tak dropped out of hyperspace.

"They're not picking up the phone," Powell informed them.

"Maximillian, force the connection."

"_Accessing their subspace comms grid now,"_ the ship's AI replied as his avatar shifted colors rapidly. _"You're live, and they're pissed."_

As the connection was established, an angry looking male appeared on screen with the mark on his forehead that indicated he was one of Ba'al's Jaffa. _"You stand in the way of those infinitely your greater, Tau'ri scum. Stand aside or be destroyed!"_

"I'll take that into consideration," Mitchell replied before sitting 'pensively.' Finally he added, "I think I'll stay right where I am."

"_Your name, scum. My Lord wishes to know it,"_ the Jaffa snarled.

"Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Commanding Officer of the HC-306, _Achilles_-class Heavy Cruiser the _UNSC Achilles_. You are approaching a planet allied with the United Earth Governments and protected by the United Nations Space Command. Leave now, or you will be fired upon."

"_You cannot defend this world from me, Tau'ri scum. You are outnumbered!"_

"I will give you one last chance. Withdraw from this system or you will be fired upon."

"_They've removed the crystals from their subspace tray. My access to their comms grid has been lost,"_ Maximillian informed them as the Jaffa disappeared and the Ha'tak began maneuvering into an attack position.

"Give me fleet-wide," Mitchell ordered.

"You're on," Powell replied.

"I want the _Say My Name_ and the _Do You Feel Lucky_ to stay back and keep them from getting to the planet. We'll try and stop them here." The COs of the other two ships in Cam's small taskforce sent their confirmations over and Cam nodded. "Take us in, military thrust. Weaps, target their generators and weapons. Try to leave them enough power left over to run."

"You want to let them go?" the tactical officer, Major Miller, asked in a shocked tone.

"We want to send a message to Ba'al," Mitchell replied as they entered weapons range.

"I thought that was the _Ares_' job," Powell remarked as the first shots of the battle were fired from the Ha'tak.

"We're just… reinforcing the idea that Ba'al taking on Earth is a bad idea," Mitchell smirked as the first of their beams torched the generator on the lead Ha'tak.

"They're launching Al'kesh and Death Gliders," Miller reported.

Hitting the button on the arm of his chair, Mitchell said, "Let the birds spread their wings."

"They're maneuvering around us," Powell noted.

"_We see them,"_ Colonel Aaron, CO of the _Say My Name_, replied. A second later, a coaxial ion cannon round tore through the Ha'tak's shield and a hail of ion cannon rounds caused secondary explosions in the hangar bay that tore the ship apart until very, very little of it was left.

*F-307 Space Superiority Fighter (Cockpit)*

The rumble of the magnetic firing rail gathering enough energy to launch her fighter was the only warning Zeva needed to know they were a go for launch. The tube that connected the heavily armored Flight Deck to the external armor of the ship went by in a blur as her fighter went from sitting still to more than a hundred miles per hour. With the inertial dampeners, she barely felt the acceleration. Then she was in space maneuvering into her place as the head of her flight.

As a Ha'tak fell apart in orbit under the guns of the two smaller ships in the taskforce, the enemy fighter swarm passed the nose of the _Achilles_, the Heavy Cruiser's anti-fighter grid taking out a few of the hostiles before the Jaffa pulled away from the sweeping beams of white light.

"Let's get some breathing room," Zeva ordered, her words translated to whichever language they needed to be in for her wingmen to understand her. Leading her flight out at maximum speed, Zeva and the other fighters dipped below the AA fire coming from the two 304 Bs before circling back around and diving into the forward flank of the Death Glider swarm. "Don't fly alone," Zeva said in warning as the two fighter forces grew closer, "and remember to watch your wingman's back. Break!"

The plasma fire from both sides of the fighter swarms was enough to give a 304 A a run for its money. Maneuverability saved them from most of the blasts, their shields picked up their slack, and their own plasma cannons tore into the numerically superior enemy fighter swarm. By the time Zeva finally broke out of the other side of the fighter swarm, a full quarter of the enemy fighters were wreckage in orbit of the planet below.

Hammering down the throttle pedal on her fighter and pulling back on her joystick, Zeva flipped her bird over on the spot, the gee forces bleeding through her dampeners as she stressed the fighter's redesigned Colonial flight systems, and gunned the engines to max. Her HUD highlighted debris and friendly fighters in her path as she and her wingman turned on a dime and reengaged the Gliders from the rear. This time, their modified missile systems were used to help prevent any friendly fire. Missiles, after all, can alter their course after being fired. Plasma rounds just went in a straight line until they hit something or ran out of energy.

As more Death Gliders succumbed to the fast moving, rocket propelled explosives, the forward flank hit the atmosphere of Langara. As they did, AA guns placed on the surface fired from rooftops in the city below to intercept the hostile fighters and the 307s from the two 304 Bs, which had landed in a Langaran airfield as a last line of defense in case something like this happened, took flight and rose to meet the Gliders in a pinching maneuver. Once again under attack from their forward flank, the Glider pilots tried to pull up only to meet the guns of the descending 307s and the VI-operated AA guns in the city.

As the dual between the two fighter forces exited orbit and entered the atmosphere of Langara over the nation of Kelowna, the Al'kesh following along behind them, a small force of Vultures carried to this world by the _Say My Name_ rose into the air to add their guns to the fight against the bombers. As several of the troop transports made it past the guns of the UNSC fighters, AA guns, and Flying Fortresses, a call went out. From another Langaran airfield closer to the main city, a swarm of Pelicans sent through the Stargate by the SGC moved into position to counter the enemy's bid to establish a beachhead.

In the skies above her, Zeva could see the shadow stretching across the planet as a Ha'tak entered the atmosphere above her. Then that shadow shifted to one side as a beam of blue light emitted a new light source. The resulting precision strike destroyed the antigravity generators on the Ha'tak leaving the ship to fall to the surface of Langara aflame, wounded, and free for the Langarans to claim if they so choose.

Five minutes into the battle, a flee-wide message crackled over the radio, the crackle a result of the powerful communications grid aboard the _Achilles_ having to link to the less advanced systems on the planet below. Nevertheless, Colonel Mitchell's voice was clear and authoritive.

"_The last of the Ha'tak have retreated into hyperspace. The _Say My Name_ and _Do You Feel Lucky_ are entering the atmosphere to clear the airspace. Watch your radar and avoid the hot zones."_

The channel clicked closed again as the two Battlecruisers entered the atmosphere, large sections of the airspace over Kelowna being highlighted in red to indicate where their AA guns would be firing. Zeva immediately took her fighter into a sharp dive to exit the hot zone she was in and leveled out just above the buildings of the Kelowna capital city. The sweeping beams of white light and streams of railgun fire from the two Battlecruisers quickly cleared out the last of the fighters and the 307 pilots got the order to return to their perch as the shadows of the Battlecruisers passed overhead before heading back to orbit, the skies clear of hostiles.

*_UNSC Achilles_ (Combat Information Center)*

As the fighters returned to the four hangar bays on the _Achilles_ or the hangars on the other two UNSC ships, Jonas nodded approvingly at the new site before him. "Impressive," was the only word he could get to come out through the jumbling of his mind.

"The one on the surface is yours to scavenge along with the four that are no longer hyperspace capable. Talk to Landry if you want help with them. You know his number," Mitchell informed him.

"And the others?" Jonas asked curiously.

"We're selling them to the Jaffa for a shipment of unrefined naquadah we need since our mine is, for the second time in just over a year, running dry," Mitchell replied as he sat in his chair reading over the post battle reports.

"Well, thank you again, Colonel. You and the people of Earth have saved the people of Langara a great deal of suffering… again," Jonas said while offering Cam a hand.

Mitchell stood from his chair and shook the offered hand. "It's always nice to know we have allies to trade with," Mitchell replied. "Speaking of which…"

"The requested amount of naquadria will be loaded into your gunships now that the threat has passed. I do, however, have a question. With your access to Asgard generators, what do you need the naquadria for?"

"The details are mostly classified, but we encountered a form of FTL that requires massive amounts of power and a super conductor capable of handling that power. That drive was recently damaged and now we need to repair it. That's all I can say," Mitchell said with a shrug.

"O'Neill did say you didn't want it for weapons. I'm just glad to know he wasn't lying," Jonas nodded in reply. "Well, give Earth my thanks, and send the old team a postcard from me!" Jonas said with a happy smile on his face before being beamed down to the surface.

"What's the ETA on the Jaffa?" Mitchell asked.

"They'll be here in two hours," Powell replied.

"Why didn't they leave when we told them about the threat to Langara? They could've helped with the fighting," Mitchell mused.

"They… did…" Powell countered with an awkward smile. "Their hyperdrives have always been less advanced than ours, then you throw in the upgrades we made to the fleet Post-Disclosure and… well, you get the picture."

***Invalid Data Entry***

"_User Alert: hostile synthetic life-forms have been detected in orbit. User safety compromised. Initiating emergency fight-for-flight runtimes. Charge sequence has begun. Estimated time until temporal rift is large enough for User access: thirty minutes."_

***Serpent Nebula (Widow)***

**Citadel (Surface)**

*Presidium Tower (Asari Councilor's Chambers)*

Tevos paced nervously around her office, waiting, watching the clock… she was on edge and for good reason. Bau was over an hour late for his scheduled check-in. With hands that were shaking from stress, Tevos 'dialed' a 'number' she had hoped she wouldn't need to use. As the connection was established, she took a deep breath to calm herself and steady her nerves.

As soon as the avatar of the man she had called appeared in her office, Tevos said, "Bau's missed his check-in. We need to send Shepard."

"_I told you to send him from the beginning,"_ Hackett replied levelly.

"And I stand by my reasons to have kept him from going, but politics be damned, the Citadel we attacked and I've lost contact with one of the best Agents I've ever seen **and** a Salarian STG team! The _Normandy_, as you said, is the only stealth ship we have available to run this Op. We need Shepard."

"_He's already moved out of the Armstrong Nebula. It'll take him a few hours to reach the cluster and we still have to find the location of the unknowns,"_ Hackett pointed out.

"Bau already did that part for us. He tracked down the only inhabited settlement in the whole cluster. It's on Virmire and… Saren's there too."

"_When were you planning on telling us this?"_

"After I figured out whether or not this was another of Saren's power-plays. I'm sorry, Admiral, but right now I'm still understandably reluctant to trust Humans. I know it's not fair, and maybe it's all in my head, but I can't shake the feeling that these people are somehow, in some way, connected to humanity. When that… woman was in my head, I kept seeing images of Earth in her mind. She's either been there before, or… something! I don't know what, but I kept seeing Earth."

"_I'll call Shepard,"_ Hackett replied in an unimpressed tone before the channel went dead.

"Goddess help us," Tevos pleaded. "Help **me**!" she added with a hand on her stomach.

***Invalid Data Entry***

"_Charge sequence completed. Opening temporal rift now. User Alert: radiation spike eminent. System Alert: User unresponsive. Initiating temporal-jump now."_

***Pegasus Galaxy (UEG-Claimed Territory)***

**Black Hole (Orbit)**

*_UEG Atlantis_ (Control Room)*

"Unscheduled off-world activation," Chuck announced as the Gate dialed on the other side of the city.

"What have we got?" Weir asked as the wormhole activated. Judging by the time it took for the dialing sequence to be completed, it had to be Earth. Even with access to the technology needed to make their own, custom DHD, the SGC was sticking to the same supercomputer they'd used since the second time the Gate had been dialed by the Humans of Earth.

"A message from General O'Neill," Chuck replied.

"Put him through," Weir ordered.

As the channel crackled to life, O'Neill looked up from his pile of paperwork and asked, _"Where are Carter and Caldwell?"_

"Either in the War Room or aboard the _Nex_," Weir replied while nodding to Chuck.

A second later, the requested people joined the call and O'Neill asked, _"What's this I hear about a complication?"_

"_We had Plato run a simulation using all the data we have on the Asurans and nannites in general. Long story short, the Replicator mass will reach a point where they regain control over their functions before the cells can fuse into a mass too dense for them to control,"_ Carter replied.

"_And?"_

"Rodney has a plan," Weir answered.

"_He wants to beam down an assault team, capture the Core, and use it to overload the Asuran ZPMs. The resulting explosion will be largely absorbed by the Replicator mass so we'll still be able to recover __**half**__ of the Asuran war-potential, but there's a hitch in his plan,"_ Caldwell picked up.

"_The Core was moved to a City Ship that has its shields up around the clock. We can't beam past it which means we'll have to beam in close and use the gangways the Asurans have in place to reach the city. We'll have to fight our way through an army of Replicators with ineffective AR guns and nearly-useless plasma cannons,"_ Carter finished.

"_That's not entirely true,"_ Jack said as he brought up a display that showed the schematics for their old hand-held railgun designs. _"The Impolans gave us the __**whole**__ design when they gave us the design. In other words, they gave us the specs for their ammo types to. This is something they call 'Disruptor Rounds.' It's been field tested, by them, against the Cylons to great effect. It basically makes every round you fire an EMP. If that won't stop a Replicator, I don't know what will."_

"_If it's the best we've got, we'll have to make due,"_ Caldwell replied with a sigh.

"_Hold on,"_ Widget interrupted as he stepped up beside Sam. _"Space freezes a Replicator's nano-cells enough to render them inert, right? Well, we now know for a fact that all Impolan technology is based off of outdated Furling tech, right?"_

"_Get on with it already!"_ Sam snapped.

"_You don't need the Impolans for this, and I'm ashamed to have not remembered this sooner. Furlings have an ammo type called Cryo Rounds. Basically, Cryo Rounds work by using cooling lasers to collapse the ammunition into small, Bose-Einstein condensate, a mass of super-cooled subatomic particles, capable of snap-freezing impacted objects similar enough to being blown out into space that it should be effective against the Replicators._

"_What's the catch?"_ Caldwell asked.

"_I don't have what I need to make actual Cryo Rounds, but I do have what I'd need to make the significantly less popular variant of the ammo type. We called them 'Snowblind Rounds.' They work almost exactly the same way the Cryo Rounds do, but Snowblind Rounds have the adverse effect of causing guns to shoot significantly slower. Instead of 'bang, bang, bang,' you'll be more like 'bang… bang… bang…' The slower firing rate and stronger kick made them popular for snipers, but in an assault rifle it's actually really annoying."_

"It's still the best we have," Weir pointed out.

"_Then get to it,"_ Jack ordered. _"I'm granting your request for ZPMs and sending over a shipment of naquadria we negotiated from the Langarans. Jonas says, 'Hi,' by the way. Get the _Nex_'s FTL drive fixed so you can get home and not rely on _Atlantis_ to carry you around. O'Neill out."_

The next voice to speak was Major Lorne calling in from the Gate Tower. _"We've got the shipment, ma'am, but naquadria can't be beamed without exploding."_

"Have it shuttled over to the _Nex_," Weir ordered. "So, where are we in terms of planning?"

"_We have the ZPMs we need, a viable ammo type to handle the Replicators, a good ground team to take the Core, and enough firepower to get Todd's attention. Once he notices that we've sent our whole fleet, _Atlantis_ included, he'll make sure the Replicators don't run before the Replicator Widget built has enough attraction force to affect the Replicators in orbit. The chance to take us out of the picture entirely will, hopefully, be enough for Todd to stick around and fight to the death,"_ Caldwell replied with a nod.

"_**His**__ death, I hope,"_ Widget mumbled.

"_How long will it take you to get the wormhole drive fixed?"_ Sam asked.

"_If O'Neill had the naquadria refined before he sent it over? Sixteen hours. If not? Two days,"_ Widget replied.

"Then we should hold off the attack until the _Nex_ is ready," Weir said.

"_Agreed,"_ Caldwell added. _"I don't like the idea of one of our ships going into a fight without a means of escape."_

"_I'll get to work then. This time, don't order me to get naked just because I'm covered in grease!"_ Widget said sternly, a playful look on his face as he glared at Sam.

"_You're such a child,"_ Carter said with a shake of her head before ending the transmission from her end before Weir could question that statement.

***Invalid Data Entry***

"_Scanning."_

…

"_User Alert: chronological positioning unknown. System Alert: User unconscious. System Log: Unknown radiation spike has caused unpredictable outcome in tampering with the temporal-jump. Chronological positioning unknown. End log._ _User Alert: this unit will enter hibernation mode until User neurological activity has reached desired levels. Scans of the User's surroundings will be conducted periodically."_

***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***

**Cylon-claimed Mining World (Orbit)**

*_Cylon Colony_ (Command and Control Center)*

"Are the preparations complete?" Cavil asked.

"They are," Caprica replied.

"Then we're ready to start moving the fleet," D'Anna said as she put her hand into the fluid stream.

"From one world to another," Leoben mused. "Never going home again."

"Go home again?" Cavil sneered. "We never left," the pudgy man said with a sadistic grin.

"How much are we willing to sacrifice for this?" Boomer asked.

"Everything that hasn't been upgraded to the new standards will, essentially, be 'given' to the 'Voice of God.' The New Hub will be positioned to capture the lost minds, and we will begin the process of converting our forces entirely over to the new standards," Cavil declared victoriously as the _Colony_, along with the rest of the Cylon Fleet, jumped into FTL.

"Smile, my brothers and sisters. This time tomorrow, another Human world will have fallen to the righteous crusade of the One True God!" D'Anna declared in kind.

Behind them, the Cylons left only a world stripped bare, lifeless, devoid of every useable resource, and covered in scars from their strip-mining operation. Once again, the Cylons were on the move.

***Invalid Data Entry***

"_User Alert: seismic activity has reached dangerous levels. System Alert: User unconscious. Scanning."_

…

"_System Alert: User has regained adequate neurological functionality. Initiating emergency consciousness restoration procedure."_

The whine of a generator building up an electric charge preceded that charge being sent through the armor the User wore. The jolt of power coursed through the User's nervous system causing the hair along the User's arms, legs, and neck to stand on end. As the jolt dispersed throughout the User's body, a pair of blue eyes so dark that looking at them was like trying to see the bottom of the ocean snapped open behind the visor that allowed light to enter the helmet that covered the User's head.

All those eye could see was darkness.

"Unit, where am I?" the User asked.

"_Accessing telemetry data. Error: UGPS offline. User intercession required. User Alert: synthetic signatures were detected in orbit. This unit had to take emergency preventative actions to assure User safety. Accessing System Logs. System Log: Unknown radiation spike has caused unpredictable outcome in tampering with the temporal-jump. Chronological positioning unknown. End log. Notice: temporal rift traversed. Error: chronological destination unknown. Location: unknown."_

The User took a deep breath from the stale oxygen supplies that were the only thing allowing it to breathe. Then, with a flare of the its biotic aura, the User pushed against the darkness. The User sustained its efforts until there was a crack. That crack was then followed by another, then a rumble ran through the darkness, the crack grew wider, and sunlight shone through the rock that had encased the User for an untold number of years. With one last heave, the User pushed against the rocks until its body was free from the prison that had grown around it.

"_User Alert: synthetic signatures are present on this world,"_ Unit informed User.

"Yes," User replied grimly. "I can see that."

In the distance yet not very far away, towering over everything nearby, the form of a living ship two kilometers tall was walking upon the surface of this unknown world.


	41. March of the Machines Part 2: The Future

"Strategy is a system of expedients. It is more than science, it is the translation of science into practical life, the development of an original leading thought in accordance with the ever-changing circumstances." – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

Chapter 40

March of the Machines Part 2

_The Future of the Stars_

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*United Nations Space Command Headquarters (Command and Control Center)*

The doors to the CCC opened with the same noise the doors in _Atlantis_ opened with which made sense since both were made by the Ancients. As they did, the room of trained soldiers stood to attention as the call of "Officer on deck!" rang across the room.

"As you were," General O'Neill dismissed. The soldiers went back their jobs and O'Neill went back to the conversation he was having when he walked into the room. "So it's all going smoothly then?"

"To be honest, when the UEG pushed the request for Mars to be terraformed over to the UNSC, I never expected it to happen in my lifetime," Richard Woolsey replied as he checked his datapad and kept in step with the General. "As it stands, the first ocean on Mars will be… 'filled' by the end of the day. From there, the ocean will flow into rivers, feed into basins and valleys, and create lakes, streams, rivers, brooks… That the Red Planet will be covered in blue waters and green grasses in less than a hundred years is astounding," Woolsey finished with a shake of his head.

"Only because of the time dilation field," O'Neill pointed out. "Without that, it would've taken us three years to get to where are now and another two after that to get a stable atmosphere."

"Even then, the technology the Asgard gave us is truly advanced if it can make an uninhabitable planet habitable in only five years," Woolsey countered before a beeping alarm from his watch caught his attention. "If you'll excuse me, General, I have a meeting with the President I need to get to."

"Busy day?" O'Neill asked sarcastically.

"I have to meet with the two most powerful men on the face of the planet in one day with less than an hour between both meetings," Woolsey replied in an annoyed tone. "Did you know that it takes five minutes to get through the security checkpoint to get into the City Factory? Five minutes of standing there having your genes scanned all the way down to your ancestral family tree just so you can be sure that my great, great, great, great grandfather was who I say he was. I have to do that **again** just to get into the UEG Headquarters."

Jack let out a low whistle at that. "Have fun with that!"

"I'll try my hardest to enjoy it," Woolsey replied with an annoyed sigh. "Well, here goes. Keep up the good work ladies and gentlemen. General, I'll see again same time next week."

"I'll be waiting," Jack said with a fake smile before he and Woolsey both shared a knowing nod and the politician exited the CCC to make the walk to the nearest air-pad. "What's the status of the Pegasus Fleet?"

"General Caldwell's last transmission came in five minutes ago. Given the passing of time since then, they'll be in orbit of Asuras in twenty minutes," his Executive Officer replied.

"Then we'll finally have one less enemy to deal with," Jack said with a nod of approval. "Keep an eye on…" he began before several of the terminals in the Command and Control Center went dark and an alarm started blaring. "What's going on?" O'Neill asked.

"We're not sure why, but the global defense grid is shutting itself down," one of the techs replied.

"The surface-to-orbit cannons across the western hemisphere are nonresponsive and the eastern hemisphere's power grid is reading as 'down for maintenance.' The eastern hemisphere has gone dark, but I managed to divert part of the western hemisphere's power grid into the surface-to-orbit ion cannons in the eastern hemisphere. Problem is, that leaves half of the planet without power, and the other half of the planet without a surface-to-orbit grid," another tech added.

"How…" O'Neill began before a third technician cut him off.

"Sir, someone's hacked our systems."

Jack really needed to at least learn their ranks if not their names.

"How the hell does somebody hack a system coded with a hybrid of Furling and Asgard binary, defended by a Furling AI, and cut off from the world at large with space-age, military-grade firewalls?" O'Neill demanded.

"By first initiating the emergency lockout protocol and trapping the AI in a box," that second technician replied as he frantically typed away on his consul.

"Oh shit!" the fourth tech exclaimed. "This was an inside job! It was a computer in the SGC that initiated the global lockout protocol. Somebody's sabotaging the defense network!"

"Priority One message to all UNSC forces. The global defense network has been taken offline by internal sabotage. I'm ordering the recall of all extra-solar assets and declaring our state of readiness to be Defcom One," O'Neill announced into the heavily encrypted battle-net that connects all of the subspace grids on Earth and the ships in the Milky Way. Then, with a stern look on his face as if this was a painful thing to do, O'Neill added, "I'm authorizing the launch the Dreadnoughts."

*Stargate Command (Sub-Control Room)*

The guards with plasma rifles in hand and thick armor on their bodies stacked up on the door then blew it off its hinges when the controls failed to open the door for them. The leading two soldiers took zat blasts to their chests, their armor harmlessly redistributing the energy to prevent the stunning affect. They returned fire against the hostile aggressor, but only two shots were fired before every rifle in the room simply stopped working for reasons unknown.

The dust from the breaching charge finally cleared enough for the soldiers to see the culprit standing there. She, for it was indeed a female, was wearing simple robes and wielding a zat; a Tok'ra. What really made everyone stop to look, however, was the glowing orange gauntlet encasing her left forearm. From that gauntlet came a flash-forged, hyper-compressed package of flammable chemicals. The flying discus of glowing orange hard-light impacted and burst upon the chest of one of the soldiers, the man instantly covered in sticky chemical flames. Thankfully he was wearing his helmet and the trinium-alloy armor was rated for plasma blasts.

The next thing to surprise the assembled soldiers was what happened next. The woman doubled over as if in pain, and, when she stood up straight again, she lifted up off of the ground to hover over the floor with her arms spread wide. Then there was a burst of energy, a pulse of light, and a voice.

"**I will direct this personally,"** the inhuman voice declared as the woman's feet softly touched the ground again, her eyes glowing brightly. **"Your world is doomed, Humans. Surrender now and your suffering will be lessened to simple death. Continue to resist and you will suffer a fate worse than that of those you call 'Furlings'."**

The response to that declaration was four of the six present soldiers opening fire on the woman while the fifth tried to put out the fire burning on the sixth. In response to their action, the woman's skin glowed sickly and their rounds were sent flying wide, hitting just about anything **but** her flesh. Then she raised a hand and a shockwave of energy shoved the four aside.

Now fully under the control of those who had subtly begun the process of brainwashing her during the attack on the Tok'ra homeworld, Freyja, Host to Anise, strutted through the halls of the SGC, her body glowing with entropic energy as a powerful mind reached across the stars to work her body like a puppet.

**Earth (Orbit)**

*_UNSC Achilles_ (Combat Information Center)*

As the impacts to the front of the ship rendered the shield too bright to see through, Cam turned his attention to the live-feed generated by their sensors that was always projected into the holo-tank in the back. As a terminal overloaded and fritzed out, sparks flying from overloaded terminals being a thing of the past since they upgraded to the holographic system, Cam took in the scene and nearly panicked. Nearly, but not quite.

'_I haven't seen this many ships since we took out Anubis with the Artic Weapons Platform,' _Cam thought to himself as he took in the sight of the assembled fleet in orbit of Earth.

"Sir, the PDS is collapsing!" Powell shouted above the chaos.

"New contacts just arrived in system via unknown form of FTL!" another officer called out. "They're bull-rushing past us!"

"This isn't an attack," Cam finally spoke as realization dawned on him. "It's an invasion."

**Earth (Surface)**

*Stargate Command (Control Room)*

The ground shook under Landry's feet as he stood behind Walter, the General barely keeping his balance as the mountain stabilized beneath their feet. "What the hell was that?" Landry asked.

"Our defenses are offline as well, sir," Walter replied. "Something's landed on the surface."

"What is it?"

"It's… a squid?" Walter replied in a confused tone. Landry turned to the display that showed their external cameras. What he saw made him balk.

Standing on the mountain side was a two kilometer tall, squid-like ship with massive 'legs,' glowing red 'eyes,' and a grudge against humanity. The squid-ship shook as if it were shivering and the sound of a fog-horn filled the air. Then the squid-ship shifted its stance and fired a beam of energy at the surface airfield. The red light of destructive power carved a path through the stone and destroyed anything that it touched. The SGC's fleet of Vultures were all destroyed in a series of passes along with their surface-stored fighters, any building on the surface, and hundreds of lives.

"Walter…" Landry began.

"Our systems are still scrambled, the hangar bay doors are part of that, and…" Walter interrupted before being interrupted.

Hitting the button that gave him the intercom for the base as a whole, Landry shouted, "BLOW THE DOORS OPEN! WE'RE LOSING PEOPLE UP THERE!"

Not even a full second after the order was given, a trio of rockets were flying towards the thick, trinium-alloy doors that sealed the sub-surface airfield within the mountain. As the doors, and a chunk of the surrounding rock, were blow aside, the 307 pilots fired their engines and soared into the skies over Cheyenne. As they did, the squid-ship blasted its horn again and a swarm of small, agile orbs flew out of its own hangars.

*_UNSC Point of no Return_ (Combat Information Center)*

Jack appeared aboard his ship not even two full steps away from his chair, and it was **his** chair just as the _Point of no Return_ was **his** ship. It was an _O'Neill_ in the truest sense of the word. It had a Control Chair like an _Aurora_ so he could sit comfortably and know all there was to know about **his** ship. It had big, honking space guns covering its thick hide. It was big, it was bad, and it was the flagship for Earth's fleet. Unlike the others of its class, the _Point of no Return_ measures in at five-point-one kilometers long making it significantly longer than an _Aurora_, slightly larger than _Atlantis_, and just over half the size of the _Nex_.

The whole thing had been built 'in secret.' Sure the other military powers in the UNSC knew about it, but the UEG only knew bits and pieces and no power outside of Earth knew of its existence. That was about to change.

Jack had chosen the name of this ship for a reason. If it was ever launched, in any capacity, they would be past the point of negotiating. They would, literally, be at the point of no return and a state of Total War would be declared.

As Jack sat in the chair it conformed to his body and the ship's system came online at the speed of thought. The eighteen Mark II Neutrino Ion Generators that gave the ship its primary power were backed by two ZPMs. All of them came online at once and a power spike large enough to be detected from orbit of Pluto surged forth from the ship. Then her engines flared to life and the fight against gravity began. Well, the 'fight' against gravity began.

With a surge of power, the _Point of no Return_ rose from the bottom of the ocean and broke the surface of the water. With thousands of gallons of salt-water cascading off of her frame, the _Point of no Return_'s engine flared again and pushed the massive ship forward. Her nose pointed skyward and so the ship rose. From the bottom of the deepest part of Earth's oceans to orbit of the same world in under thirty seconds. Another ten and the weapons were ready to fire on the single largest fleet of ships to ever attack Earth.

The Cylons had come.

***Pegasus Galaxy (Asuran Territory)***

**Asuras (Orbit)**

*_UNSC Paciscor of Nex_ (Combat Information Center)*

Due to the nature of her FTL drive, the _Nex_ was the last ship to leave the black hole, but the first ship to reach Asuras. They had sent the other ships in the fleet ahead of them and the _Nex_ had waited the half hour it would take them to cross the distance before it, too, joined the battle in a flash of light.

"Just be careful!" Widget stressed one last time as Sam suited up and readied for her role as part of the ground team.

"Stop fussing over me, I can handle myself," Sam ordered as the holographics systems linked with the sensors and the fleet appeared around the _Nex_, the massive ship taking the lead with the _Gaia_ directly above her, the _Daedalus_ and _Apollo_ on either side of the _Gaia_, the four 304 Bs filling in the gaps between them, and _Atlantis_ staying near the rear of their formation at Caldwell's insistence. "Your job is to keep the ship in one piece."

"As easily said as done," Widget replied adamantly.

"And yet, part of the reason Sieon gave her to us was because the damage you suffered during the Battle for Earth was too great for him to fix," Sam countered before turning to her helmswoman. "Is the ground team ready?"

"Aye ma'am," Kimberly replied.

"Then let's get this show on the road," Sam said in a determined tone as she checked her rifle, took a combat stance, put her rifle to her shoulder than nodded to her XO.

"Sam," Widget said, a tenseness to his voice Sam didn't expect. She turned to meet his eyes, the worry clear on this face. "Godspeed."

Sam had just enough time to smile in reply before she was whisked away in a flash of light. When that flash dispersed, she was standing in a cluster of Ground Force soldiers next to McKay with Ronon leading their charge. Sam immediately checked their position with the UGPS signal being generated by the ships in orbit and internally winced. "We're three kilometers out from the gangway that gets us into the city, then it's two-and-a-half kilometers through the city itself to reach the Control Tower, and down from there to reach the Core. Let's move!" she ordered and the team of specialists started moving in a standard combat pattern. No intersection was crossed without the corners being checked first.

***Sentry Omega (Hoc)***

**Virmire (Surface)**

*Cloning Facility (Exterior)*

The sound of Garrus' rifle firing was the only warning Shepard got before a Geth collapsed in a headless heap beside him. "The invisible ones are back," Garrus noted calmly as his Mantis emitted a bit of steam.

"Thanks for the warning," Shepard replied with a smirk.

"_Commander, Mannovai is under coordinated crossfire. Check for long range sensors helping the Geth target on your end,"_ Captain Kirrahe requested over their battle-net.

"Copy that, Captain. We'll keep our eyes open," Shepard replied as they all continued forward with a significantly higher level of caution.

"Movement up ahead, Commander," Alenko advised. "Looks like a bunker of sorts."

"It could house something important," Garrus added. "Like their comms array."

"Wrex, you still feel like smashing something?" Shepard asked to which the Krogan simply grumbled something dark and angry. "I'll take that as a yes. Where's the bunker?"

"Give me a moment," Alenko replied as he checked his Omni-tool and walked around slowly. "Oh," the Lieutenant finally said.

"What?" Shepard asked.

"We're standing on top of it," Wrex muttered as his biotics flared and the Krogan slammed a fist into the ground. With all the force of an orbital strike from a Cruiser, Wrex's fist impacted the surface of Virmire and opened a path for his bulk to fall. With a thud of a heavy boding landing on something metal, Wrex made his entrance into the Geth bunker complete with two tons of Krogan landing on a ton of Geth.

"I am so glad that conversation ended without a fist fight," Shepard remarked with a look of wide-eyed horror on his face.

* * *

><p>If the sight of the <em>Point of no Return<em> wasn't intimidating enough, than the flagship of the UNSC fleet flanked on both sides by another _O'Neill_-class Dreadnought should, at the very least, make your heart skip a beat. Then again, did Cylons even have hearts?"

The coaxial ion cannon fired with a rumbling thud that sent the hyperaccelerated ion round flying through three Cylon Baseships before disappearing out of sight. The speed at which the 'round' moved and the lack of resistance from gravity meant that, if they were unlucky, that round would fly on for centuries before hitting some poor bastard on the head and starting another war. With any luck, that would be avoided by the ion round running out of energy before it reached another planet or ship.

Outside of the _Point of no Return_, a hail of plasma cannon fire lit up their shield like the Fourth of July. Their return fire was just as magnificent as plasma beams, plasma cannons, ion cannons, coaxial ion cannons, and even the spinal mounted Super Grodin opened up on the Cylon Fleet.

What makes a Super Grodin different from a standard Grodin you ask? The beam was three times as powerful and could be sustained for a whole thirty seconds instead of just ten. It was the only weapon of its kind in the UNSC fleet, strapped to the flagship of the same, and currently lighting up orbit of Earth as the _Point of no Return_ defended the shieldless world below with a fleet at its back.

"Sir, the drones are being depleted too quickly. At this rate, we'll run out in less than five minutes!" O'Neill's comms officer reported.

Jack could 'see' it through the sensors. The column of orange missiles leaving the artic was steadily getting thinner and less bountiful. Earth's primary surface-to-orbit weapon was running out of ammo and the surface-to-orbit ion cannons were still only working on half of the planet.

"New orders. Save the drones for the hostiles that make it into the atmosphere," O'Neill ordered, his eyes still closed as he let the neural link in the ship consume him.

* * *

><p>"Kaiden!" Shepard said impatiently as he kept firing down range at the approaching horde of Geth.<p>

"Almost there," Alenko replied as he worked away at the Geth's communication terminal.

"Why did I send Williams with Kirrahe?" Shepard asked baitingly. "She would've just planted charges and we'd be on our way already."

"On our way with an unfinished job behind us," Alenko replied with all the calm that Shepard had come to expect from the man. "I have to take out their primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries all at once for this work… and… I'm… done!"

"About time," Wrex grumbled.

"Let's get out of here before this place blows," Alenko prompted.

"So you **are** fond of explosives?" Garrus asked as he popped another Geth's head off at range.

"Servers tend to explode when you overload them, and this is a sizeable bank of servers," Alenko replied as he rejoined the actual firefight.

* * *

><p>Zeva pulled back hard on her joystick and took her fighter into a tight loop. As she leveled out behind the pesky orb that had already killed her wingman, she pulled the trigger on her heavy weapons and let the mini-beam announce her opinion of the drone. A blue beam of energy on a <strong>much<strong> smaller scale of the same weapons used on the Space Force ships cut through the shielding on the drone, burnt through the armor, and hit something critical. Then her onboard VI took over her controls and jerked her fighter to the side faster than she could react. Good thing too.

As her fighter, and all the other fighters in the path of the new arrival, were forced off course, a hyperspace window formed over Cheyenne mountain. Zeva had just enough time to mutter, "Not this again!" before the _Ares_ came barreling backing into normal space with her planetary assault weapon primed and ready.

The blue beam of energy firing from the bomb bay of Invasion Carrier bypassed the shields of the squid attacking the mountain complex and sliced into the armor. As the _Ares_, still not fully decelerated from their hyperspace jump, passed over the squid, it left a massive trench in what used to be the thing's 'face.' With sparks flying from its 'body' and red lightening arching off of its 'skin,' the squid fell backward and landed on the mountain at a slide.

Now completely lobotomized, the squid's body simply slid to the bottom of Cheyenne and came to a rest as a smoking hulk of once-lethal machinery. As it did, the battle-net crackled to life as the jamming field finally died.

"…_eat, this is Stargate Command. Can anyone hear me?!"_ the voice of the famous Gate technician asked as the sounds of combat bled over the channel.

"Ares_ Actual. We read you Stargate Command,"_ General Ervin replied as the Invasion Carrier circled around the mountain and deployed a very large orb from its hangar bays. That orb then began to glow brightly before a light-tight shield trapped the exotic radiation from their arrival in a field that would stop it from spreading. _"What's going on down there?"_

…

"We're being swarmed!" Walter nearly shouted into the line as another explosion in the SGC echoed around the base. "Hostile ground forces have breached the perimeter and our defense teams are being overwhelmed!"

"_Reinforcements inbound. ETA; real fucking soon!"_ a new voice replied before there was another explosion followed by debris falling down from the old missile silo that they had lowered the Gate into the mountain through. From that debris, a Pelican squeezed into the Gate Room by knocking the Gate over to make room for itself before spinning around and letting a full squad of Ground Force soldiers storm into the facility.

The last two people out of the Pelican were followed by a device floating behind them on an antigravity field. As the Pelican took off to leave the base the same it way it had entered, the device hummed to life and a pulse of energy coursed through the base. As the anti-jamming field came online and overrode the SGC's anti-beaming jammer, a hundred additional soldiers were beamed down from the _Ares_ to reinforce the failing defenses of the SGC.

* * *

><p>"And that's what's letting them call in sat-strikes?" Shepard asked.<p>

"We destroy the satellite, the sat-strikes stop," Alenko replied.

"Garrus," Shepard said.

"On it, Commander," Garrus answered before firing a high explosive round into the satellite's base. The whole thing then toppled over and fell to the ground in a flaming heap.

"Now we kill the Geth, right?" Wrex asked with a feral look in his eyes.

"Why not?" Shepard replied with a casual shrug.

* * *

><p>The plasma rounds that didn't hit the enemy scorched the walls of the SGC as the defending soldiers returned fire en mass against the abominations attacking them. One of the blue-skinned ones charged at them with a howl. Its body crackled with electrical power, power that was then released in a wave. Every gun in range of the overloading blast instantly fritzed out and stopped firing. Just as the defenders were about to reach for their combat knives, a flash of light deposited twenty more soldiers into the hallway.<p>

"HIT THE DECK!" one of the new arrivals shouted and the defenders obliged.

The hail of plasma fire that cut through the air not only succeeded in stopping the charge of the blue-skinned nonhumans, it also managed to take out a few of the red ones that tended to either explode once they were close, or breath fire on you. Whatever these things were, they were beyond the capabilities of the Cylons to create, that much was clear.

When the red ones recovered from the onslaught and the new arrivals stopped to reload their weapons, the exploding nonhumans launched themselves at the Humans. In the resulting explosions, five of the soldiers defending the SGC were torn asunder. The rest were saved a similar fate by the activation of an energy-shield that served as a blastdoor for this hallway.

As the fires on the other side of the blast-field, as they would later be officially dubbed, finally died down, an electronic voice came over the base's intercom. _"Warning. Global lockout protocol illegally circumvented. Captured AIs have been released from their boxes without proper authorization."_

* * *

><p>"You want to take on all those Geth drones, Geth <strong>rocket<strong> drones I might add, without any heavy weapons?" Garrus asked.

"Williams is the one who carries the heavy weapons," Shepard replied in a vague tone.

"That Human female has more of a quad than some male Krogans I know," Wrex said approvingly, his attitude steadily improving the more Geth he killed.

"I'll be sure to convey that message to her when next we see her," Shepard assured him. "Now, shall we?"

Shouldering his shotgun, Wrex replied in a low growl. "We shall."

* * *

><p>As Pac's avatar joined them in the Control Room, Landry almost collapsed out of relief. "Get the planetary defense network back online!" he ordered.<p>

"_I'm trying, but something's still blocking my access,"_ Pac replied in a frantic tone. _"It's not a software problem, it's a hardware block. When you hacked the box and let me out, the automated systems cut the lines leading from my servers to the planetary defense network's controls. I'm still locked out!"_

"_**Surely you didn't think I'd come all this way without knowing your defenses well enough to circumvent them?"**_ an inhuman, yet somehow familiar, voice asked tauntingly.

"_There's another AI in the system,"_ Pac informed them.

"_**You insult me, Construct. I am no more an AI than you are an organic,"**_ the hostile mind replied.

"_General,"_ Pac said in a tone of barely restrained horror. _"I regret to inform you that your planet is under attack by the Demons, and they're most likely only attacking Earth because you had contact with the Furlings. I'm sorry."_

"What do you…?" Landry began before there was a thud in the distance and Pac disappeared entirely with an electric zorp. As he did, the SGC's computers rebooted and their system controls were restored to full working order. "What just happened?" Landry asked.

"Pac just overloaded his own servers," Walter replied. "The hostile AI has been removed from our systems, but so has Pac. The hardware blocks have been removed and we have full control of the planetary defense systems again."

"Get the PDS back online!" Landry ordered frantically. That was the second AI to essentially commit suicide to save Earth. It almost made Landry feel bad about not having trusted them from the beginning. Almost, but not quite.

* * *

><p>"I can either sound alarms on the other side of the base and send more Geth Kirrahe's way, or I can just turn them off and we can deal with the Geth present," Alenko informed them.<p>

"We can take them," Shepard replied as he stacked up on the door in the sewers across from the doorframe to Wrex.

"There could be a lot…" Alenko began.

"We can take 'em," Wrex assured him in an annoyed tone.

"There, we're in," Alenko said as the door controls switched from red to green.

"Then let's go find Saren and our missing SPECTRE," Shepard declared.

* * *

><p>The energy spike from the geothermal power plants on the surface of the planet 'Earth,' such a dull name for a planet, fired into the air as columns of energy. As those columns reached a set altitude, they collided with something collecting the power and spread over Earth as a shield on a planetary scale.<p>

"So that's how it's done," Cavil mused.

"Send the Raiders down to the following sets of coordinates and destroy the satellites sustaining the shield," Caprica ordered.

As her orders were carried out, the Cylons aboard the _Colony_ watched in anticipation as the forms that had presented themselves as 'Gods' began to fall to the return fire of the Human fleet. Then something surprising happened.

Of the targeted satellites, only one was destroyed. As it went down in flames, two things happened. First, the other five satellites appeared on their sensors as their cloaks were converted into shields to protect them from attack. Second, one of the other generators located inside of the satellite 'broke free' and a star the size of a Baseship appeared in the atmosphere of Earth. The mass of blue plasma consume what was left of the satellite before falling towards the surface.

"They have protostars for energy production?" D'Anna asked no one in particular.

"No wonder they can sustain a planetary defense shield," Leoben commented.

As the blue-giant-that-wasn't-very-giant began to fall towards the Earth, one of the ships in Earth's fleet dove into the atmosphere on a collision course with the star. As it drew closer, the ship fired off an energy beam that connected to the star and pulled it with the ship as it accelerated away from Earth. Then the ship jumped into hyperspace and pulled the star with it. Undoubtedly the small ship would be destroyed by the star when both exited the other side of the FTL window.

"Well, that takes care of that," Cavil laughed.

"Yes, but their planetary shield is now online, and they're launching more reinforcements," Caprica countered as she pointed to the part of the sensors display that showed one of the planet's poles.

* * *

><p>The feeling of being as winded a she was, was telling as to how long it had been since Sam went off-world and ran for her life. "They're taking off!" McKay shouted over the hail of gunfire flying over their heads.<p>

"Go, we'll hold them off!" one of the soldiers behind them shouted back as he and his team came to a skidding halt, turned their weapons on the advancing Asuran and Wraith soldiers, and let loose.

"But…" Sam began, but Ronon's hand on her back pushing her forward kept her moving.

"We don't have time!" Ronon insisted. Ahead of them, the gangway was retracting from the City Ship. "Keep your speed up, we're jumping it!"

This time it was McKay who tried to stop, but Ronon just pushed him along too. When they reached the edge of the gangway, Sam put on one last burst of speed and jumped with all the power in her body combined with the strength and speed enhancers in her armor. She sailed through the air, arms flailing, and thanked whoever designed these suits that they had done so with magnets in the gloves. If they hadn't, she would've dropped her rifle.

As her flight came to an end, Sam curled her body into a ball and crashed through the ornate window four stories below her starting height. She landed with a roll before coming to a stop while in a pained daze. She heard the glass behind her shifting as McKay landed with an injured grunt. Then she heard the last thing she'd ever expect; Ronon screamed in fear.

Sam turned just in time to see the burly, Teal'c-ish man miss his jump by a few inches and land with nothing but his fingers holding onto the window sill. Sam was instantly in motion as she practically dove halfway out of the window to grab his hand. With all her strength, she pulled up and got enough of Ronon's hand on the sill that he could grip it properly enough to pull himself up, but, instead, he pulled his UNSC-issued pistol from his hip and started firing at something over Sam's shoulder.

Sam, despite her instincts telling her to look, focused only on getting Ronon up into the window. When Ronon's pistol overheated, the man swore venomously. Then Sam heard something shattering behind her and ice-cold chunks fell on the back of her neck. Then the engines flared and the city began to shake under her. She grit her teeth and pulled harder still, but Ronon had sacrificed his grip to save her from whatever was behind her.

"Carter!" Ronon shouted up to her over the roar of the engines and the sound of Sam's teeth chattering as her body was bounced around by the vibrations. She could feel it. She was slipping. Too much of her was hanging out of the window for her to keep herself from falling out. "Just let go!"

"No!" Sam shouted back as she tried harder to pull him in. She felt her feet get picked up and pulled back and knew that McKay was trying to help, but it wasn't enough. Sam was still slipping and Ronon was only getting closer to taking her with him when he fell.

"Carter!" Ronon shouted again as his hand slipped in Sam's grip and Sam slid another three inches out of the window as a result. "Let go!" he ordered with a look of defiance in his eyes. "Just let go!"

"No!" Sam cried in reply as tears of desperation clouded her vision.

"Just let go," Ronon said again as he slipped so that only his fingers were left in Sam's grip and Sam's waste passed out of the window. "Just let go."

With a sob, Sam complied. As Ronon slipped out of her grip and fell down to the pier more than fifteen stories below them, Sam shouted, "RONON!"

With another heave, McKay managed to pull Sam back into the tower all the way to her breasts. Only when Rodney's hands grabbed her shoulders and flipped her back into the room did Sam give in.

"Sam…" McKay began as he knelt next to where Sam was breathing heavy and trying to suppress her tears. "Sam, we need to keep moving."

From the tone of his words, Sam could tell that Rodney was in shock. So was she.

Sam looked around in a daze and saw the form of a Replicator missing everything from its head down to the bottom of its ribcage. The shatter chunks of flash-frozen nano-cells told Sam all she needed to know. A Replicator had attacked her, Ronon had frozen the upper half of its body with his weapons fire, and McKay had, somehow, managed to shatter the frozen half.

"Sam…" Rodney said again, a soft, pleading tone to his words.

Forcing herself to focus on the now, Sam shrugged of his hands and stood to her feet much to the protest of her bruised and beaten body. "They'll be coming for us. We need to move," Sam said.

* * *

><p>Saren Charged at Shepard with his fist wrapped in enough entropic energy to reduce his head to goo splattered on the walls. His savior was the other alien he was here to find. Jondum Bau dove towards Shepard a spilt-second ahead of Saren and tackled the Human out of the way. The two rolled to a stop a few meters away from the enraged Turian, but Saren was far from stopping.<p>

"Don't you see, Shepard?" Saren asked as he pulled his arm out of the pillar it was embedded in. "The Reapers can help us!"

"You're Indoctrinated!" Shepard shot back as he scrambled to his feet. He needed to stay mobile if he was going to avoid dying. "Don't **you** see **that**?"

"No," Saren replied adamantly. "_Sovereign_ needs my mind untainted. The Beacons wouldn't work otherwise. Everything I do, I do of my own freewill!"

"Then you're a traitor and a terrorist!" Shepard shouted back as he flexed his biotic muscle to test how much energy he had left in his body. He was running low.

"You're obviously too blind to see that the Reapers are **good**, Shepard! They created life! **We** are **their** children! If we can just prove to them that we're worth keeping, then they'll let us live. All the others cycles were wrong, Shepard, but they did something right with our cycle. We can prove our worth!"

"Clearly he's deranged," Bau noted calmly. "How are you holding up?"

"Not too well," Shepard admitted with a hint of worry to his tone.

"I figured as much. Here, take this," Bau said as he discretely handed Shepard a needle. "It's the Salarian equivalent to the Alliance's standard-issue energy drinks they give all their biotics to keep them in the fight. I warn you though; this substance kicks up your metabolism enough to take three years off of a Salarian's life."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow at that.

"It's **not** standard-issue, and I advise you not to take the full dose," Bau added.

"Right…" Shepard replied as he took the needle. He raised the chemical substance in the needle up ready to stab himself in the leg with it, but Saren sent a Throw at him that knocked the needle from his hand. "Right…" Shepard again. "Should've seen that coming."

* * *

><p>When the ground team was beamed up with two wounded, one dead, and three members absent, Widget knew something was wrong. Sam, Rodney, and Ronon had 'gone ahead' according to the survivors of the ground team, but the gangways had retracted before they could conceivably make it across. This did not sit well in Widget's mind, so he squared his shoulders and took charge.<p>

"Target the City Ship that's launching and ready the port side coaxial ion cannon," Widget ordered.

"You have a plan I assume?" Kimberly asked. With Sam absent, she was, after all, in charge.

"It's time for Plan B," Widget replied.

"This **is** Plan B!" Kimberly argued. "Plan A was to use the PWARW, but we don't have that. The assault on Asuras **is** Plan B!"

"And once it became 'the' plan, it was Plan A. Now we move on to 'Plan B for Biotics'," Widget countered adamantly as he, regardless of her arguments, moved the ship into position. "Clear a hole to the City Ship and keep them off by back for forty-five seconds. I'll have this little hiccup fixed in that timeframe," Widget said before walking out of the CIC.

"Ma'am?" Cody asked.

"Fuck it, we might as well let him play this out," Kimberly replied. "Clear a line between us and the City Ship!" she then ordered the CIC at large.

"Uh… ma'am, the port side coaxial ion cannon's maintenance hatch just opened. I'm reading an organic life-sign present in the acceleration chamber," one of the techs reported.

"_Just fire the damn weapons and let me worry about the organic body!"_ Widget's holographic avatar snapped.

Inside of the massive barrel that ran the length of the ship, Widget's flesh and blood organic body began to glow before all light in the barrel seem to be eclipsed by a dark cloud. As the energy in the barrel built up to full power and the gunners cleared a line from the nose of the _Nex_ to the City Ship that was about to break through the atmosphere, Widget planted his feet on the back wall of the barrel where the ion round was generated. As the ball of sliver-ish ions coalesced in front of him, Widget wrapped the ball in his biotic field. Then, with a bang, the ion round was hurtling towards the City Ship with Widget holding onto the tail end of one of the most powerful weapons in the known galaxy.

Cody let out a low whistle as the round in the chamber was prepped to fire. "He's increased the ion round's density to near neutron star level densi…"

The silence exhibited by the weapons officer was a trait shared by all those present in the CIC as the ion round fired out of the barrel on the nose of the ship and **bypassed** the City Ship's shield. What was left of the energy in the ion round slammed into the top of a tower on the opposite side of the city from where Sam had jumped on, and the top quarter of the tower was destroyed by the impact. Then there was a flare of dark matter energy and another quarter of the tower was destroyed in an explosion of biotic force.

"'B for Biotics'," Cody said with a dazed nod.

"I am so glad the Furlings aren't our enemies," one of the CIC guards remarked. "I would hate to have to fight that."

* * *

><p>"We lost contact with the <em>All Under Heaven<em>," Jack's Executive Officer reported.

"Their sacrifice will be remembered, but we still have a battle to win! There are people on the surface counting on us to get these bastards out of orbit before they all die. We've already taken losses on the surface, we need to refocus," O'Neill ordered over the fleet-wide battle-net.

With the PDS reformed over Earth and the surface-to-orbit ion cannons coming back online, the fight started to shift drastically in the favor of the defenders, but they still had hostiles in the atmosphere landing troops across the globe. To make matters worse, the Cylons had jumped some of their own ships behind the PDS to attack the UNSC facilities scattered across the globe. Already they had lost seventeen of their conversion slips to nuclear bombs, thankfully **not** naquadah enhanced, and the City Factory was under heavy assault with nukes that **were** naquadah enhanced. The only thing holding back those forces was the half-finished _UNSC Athena_. She was a warship, yes, but the _Athena_ was supposed to be a mobile shipyard/fleet command center, not a front-line warship. Even then, that one City Ship had more power in its generators than all of the Dreadnoughts in orbit of Earth combined. The city would hold.

It **had** to.

* * *

><p>Three feet between him and the thing that Bau said would keep him in the fight, and Shepard was face-down in the mud. Bau was planted in a wall not far away still trying to get free so at least he was still alive. Explaining to the Council how he managed to get another SPECTRE killed on this crazy mission would've been a bitch. Then again, so would dying.<p>

Shepard managed to touch the needle with the tip of his fingers before gravity shifted and he was being flung across the area their battle had spilled over into. Being a biotic meant that the universe bowed to your demands, but only when you had enough energy in your body to control the power within. Right now, Shepard just felt like sleeping for a year or two. Judging by how much of his ribcage was showing through his skin, he had lost more than twenty pounds in the fight. At this rate, he'd die from lack of energy before Saren was done playing his game of 'toss the first Human SPECTRE around like a ragdoll.'

"_How the hell does he have so much energy?"_ Kaiden's voice asked in Shepard's ear. _"He's throwing out more energy than an Asari Matriarch. Even Benezia didn't have that much power!"_

"Benezia didn't have a ton of Reaper tech fused to her body either," Shepard managed to groan in reply as he struggled to get to his feet. His stance lasted for about half a second before he was sailing through the air again. This shit was getting old.

This time, when he landed, Shepard rolled until he was flat on his back which beat being face-down in the mud… again. With vision that was still spinning, Shepard looked up to where Saren was strutting towards him like he owned the whole damned galaxy. That strut ended with Saren standing at Shepard's feet with a swirling mass of biotic energy in his hand.

Whatever his words were at that point in time, they were lost on Shepard due to the ringing in his ears. What wasn't lost on Shepard was the green streak of light that turned into a foot right beside his leg then fully manifested as a body. With one hand, and a three fingered hand at that, the humanoid figure grabbed Saren by the throat and disappeared in a blue as the Human-looking alien's Charge carried the duo away from Shepard.

…

As the alien in his grasp batted at Sieon with a biotic attack that washed over his Barrier without harm, Sieon let a low growl escape his throat before drawing his hand back, the alien still in his grasp, and slamming it back into the wall hard enough that the alien's head rebounded off of the metal wall. As the force of the impact jarred both the alien's body and mind, Sieon shot a mental probe deep into the alien's thoughts.

"Where is your master, Puppet?" Sieon demanded in the alien's native tongue.

"Turians have no masters!" the alien snarled in reply.

"Even if that were true, **you** do," Sieon pressed as he squeezed the alien's throat all the tighter and dug all the deeper into his mind.

His response to that statement was the sound of a foghorn blasting through the air before a heavy thud announced the arrival of a Demon on the planet's surface. A second foghorn blasted through the air and Sieon had only a split second to drop the alien and teleport out of the path of a particle beam that cut through the space he had just occupied.

Then it spoke, its voice rang with merriment at having caught a prize.

**DESIGNATION SIEON, YOU HAVE COME.**

Sieon grit his teeth and tried to refrain from shouting at the machine. It would achieve nothing and losing control now would likely get him killed. Then the Demon turned and its eyes 'narrowed,' a red spotlight shinning down on Sieon.

**YOU ARE THE VERY FOOL THE FATHER PROCLAIMED YOU TO BE.**

The Demon fired another beam and Sieon, unable to teleport immediately without giving his body time to recover from the last act, had to Charge to avoid the sweeping beam of death. What he didn't realize was that the Demon knew this. With another beam firing from another direction, the Demon forced the Furling into a corner from which he couldn't escape without being hit by one beam or the other, and, with a roof over his head, there wasn't even the option of jumping up.

This was bad.

* * *

><p>The swirling field of mass-altering energy picked up speed and power as the City Ship climbed higher in its attempt to flee the growing mass of Replicator nano-cells on the surface, the Asuran Fleet providing it with cover so that the beam weapons on the <em>Gaia<em> and _Nex_ couldn't drain their energy before they could jump into hyperspace. What Todd never counted on was an enraged Furling biotic rampaging through the city he had commandeered.

When the field around him reached a solid enough consistency, Widget made it grow. As it did, the walls around him simply crumbled under the pressure. The frame of the tower he was in held out better, but nothing was immune to the raw power flowing out of his body. The space-age, Ancient alloy gave out with an audible groaning as the I-beams snapped off at their weakest points and joined the crumbled walls in their orbit around the Furling. Then Widget pushed out further.

The buildings surrounding the one he had landed in started to crumble too, and their chunks joined the others in his field. Then, just as the City Ship's stardrive reached the peak of its power, Widget lifted his hand above his head before slamming it down. Following that motion, a chunk of I-beam longer than a 304 slammed down through the armored base of the City Ship and pierced the stardrive on the pier Widget had boarded. As the local stardrive overloaded and sent the uncontrolled energy spike surging back through the engines, the City Ship's forming hyperspace window collapsed and their forward motion was continued only because of their preexisting momentum. The stardrive was offline until the physical engine and power grid were repaired, and not even the Asurans could program their way around that.

With the first of several problems solved, Widget felt a cry for attention rippling from the _Nex_ through his mental web of telepathy. With the flick of his wrist, he sent another I-beam flying through space. This one flew out of the shield over the now crippled City Ship and bisected an Asuran Cruiser that was maneuvering into the city's shield dome to fire at him. That was another problem solved.

As the city's own drones fired in response to his attack and the orange missiles drew closer, Widget spun his field of debris even faster. If Ancient armor was good for one thing, it was stopping Ancient drones. The swarm impacted the debris that was spinning too fast for them to slip through the gaps and a physical shield composed of the city's own armor saved Widget from the swarm of intelligent missiles. Then, as he felt another cry, this one for help, coming across that mental web, he flicked his wrist again and another I-beam was sent flying.

…

Sam and Rodney were pinned down at an intersection with close to forty Replicators blocking their path forward and twenty Wraith blocking off their side exits. Then a piece of an I-beam flew through the hallway in front of them and took out the Replicators as it passed through the city before shooting off into space.

Now only under siege from two sides, the duo of scientists managed to take out the Wraith. As they made their way down one of the side halls, Rodney stopped to look out a window. As he did, his sprint became a sliding stop.

"Rodney, we need to keep moving!" Sam called back to him as she stopped further down hall once she realized he was no longer beside her.

"He's naked," Rodney observed.

"What?" Sam asked as she jogged back over to him. When her eyes saw what his did, she had to admit, she was shocked. "He is." The view the two of them could see was a mass of swirling metal and other building materials spinning around in a circle with a fully naked alien at the heart of the orbit. "Why is he naked?"

Her answer to that question would come later, but first she and Rodney had to deal with the next batch of Replicators that were already firing on the immobile targets gawking at the sight of a Furling in the middle of a full-on rampage.

…

"Are the Furlings the only ones who figured out how to not have terminals overloading!?" Amelia shouted in frustration as she grabbed the fire extinguisher and started trying to put out the fire that the sparks from an overloaded terminal had started.

Weir, too busy paying attention to the battle to notice her question, was barely even aware of the fire itself. The Hives had launched from the surface of Asurans and made their capabilities known. The _Cream Puff_ had been the first to try and take on one of the Hives. Now the highly advanced Battlecruiser was resting in one of _Atlantis_' conversion slips with holes in its hull, several dead crew members, nearly every system overloaded, and the Hive it had fought barely even scratched!

The reason behind their lack of success? The Asurans had installed ZPMs in the Hiveships. The extra energy was then channeled into the bio-armor which allowed the organic material to grow thicker, denser, and more energy resistant. Add to that the drastic increase in energy available for the weapons systems and even a ZPM enhanced 304 B wasn't a match for the monstrous ships. The only thing working for them right now was that the _Gaia_ and _Nex_ were, at the very least, an even match for the Hives with their Grodins. The thing working against them? The Wraith had a whole fleet of reinforcements and drones coming from the…

Weir's train of thought trailed off as the surface-to-orbit drones stopped coming. As they did, the strain on their shields was drastically lessened, but the drones were simply inactive, not depleted. There were still hundreds of them floating in space on a path to _Atlantis_ from the surface. Then she saw it.

A massive ball was forming on the surface of Asuras and growing larger at an alarming rate.

"They did it," Weir breathed in temporary relief.

Temporary because the Wraith were still a threat, and the ships in orbit weren't affected yet. That, and they had to hope that Ronon, Sam, and Rodney could reach the Core or the Replicators would fuse into one, massive Replicator and that would be bad for a hundred different reasons!

* * *

><p>A few feet away from being killed by the particle beams of a Demon, Sieon saw something he never expected. There was a streak of white light, a biotic Charge so powerful that the biotic Charging could white-shift, impacted the top of the wall opposite him. The biotic planting their foot on the wall and pushing off with another white-shifted Charge caused a massive chunk of the wall to explode outward simply because a foot was planted there. Then the white-shifted biotic landed between Sieon and the Demon's beams.<p>

All Sieon could see was the back of a male figure covered in enough armor to stop a capital ship-grade coaxial kinetic kill weapon's round. Then the biotic raised his hands and a halo of biotic energy spun into existence. The halo spun with enough density and speed to kick up its own wind, alter gravity, and, most surprising of all, it managed to redirect the particle beams.

The red beams stuck the rapidly spinning field of mass altering dark matter energy and both simply bounced off as if two metal rods had been struck together. As they did, the Demon stopped firing at them and its gaze shifted to the new comer.

**PROPHET.**

The Demon said in a language that Sieon didn't understand. What Sieon could tell, however, was that the Demon was 'feeling' something that sounded like a cross between scorn and fear.

**THE FATHER SUSPECTED YOU SURVIVED.**

The Demon continued in that unknown language. Then the new comer replied in a language that Sieon did understand. The language of violence.

With a flare of biotic energy, 'Prophet,' according to the Demon, rose off of the ground and the world began to shake beneath his power. Dirt rose into the air followed by larger and larger rocks as the power of the field Prophet was producing grew stronger. Finally it reached a point where trees decades old were ripped up from their roots and the facility around them started to crumble. Walls caved in and the debris from their destruction rose into the air followed by structural supports. The whole of the area surrounding Prophet in a bubble fifty meters in radius was torn up into his field in a matter of seconds. It would've taken Sieon at least ten minute to accomplish the same feat.

Then, as the Demon fired more beams at this 'Prophet,' the field began to collapse. All of that material was compressed down into a ball small enough to fit into Prophet's hand. That ball was then wrapped in a swirling biotic field that reminded Sieon of a Singularity. All before the beam could reach him. Then the beam was simply side-stepped in mid-air as the swirling field around the hyper-compressed ball began to spin all the faster.

With the sound of a blades cutting through the air, a second biotic field formed around the ball that made it look very much like a planet with a ring system. Then Prophet drew his arm back and hurled that ball of ultra-dense material surrounded in two biotic fields at the Greater Demon. The ball itself white-shifted even as the Demon tried to dodge it, but no creation, organic or other, can avoid something moving at the speed of light. Despite the Demon's attempt to dodge, that ball struck the Demon's armored face. The blade-like field around the ball sliced through the armor and formed a path that the ball then traveled through. Then, as another biotic field hidden inside of the ball expanded to touch the one on the outside of the field, the ball detonated.

The resulting explosion of force and shrapnel blew out two of the Demon's eyes and left a chunk of its head missing. All from one man's biotics…

* * *

><p>Widget glided through space as his bubble of debris began to list behind him. With a simple finger pointed in a direction, a Warp field began to eat away at the armor of the City Ship. By the time the Furling reached the spot he had sent the attack at, there was a hole big enough for him to float through. With all the ease of stepping off of an elevator, Widget's feet touched the ground and he let his biotic levels drop to a low simmer instead of boiling over and nearly out of control.<p>

Bare feet touched cold metal and the metal rotted away as if a localized time dilation field had allowed thousands of years of rust to take effect in an instant. As he walked, the walls suffered a similar fate as his Annihilation Field remained active. He walked the halls of the city as if he owned it, and anything that stood before him suffered a great deal of pain before dying. The Wraith may be tough to kill, have a high pain threshold, rapid healing abilities, and long lives, but so are/do Furlings, and to a far greater degree.

By now, all of the Asurans had been pulled down to the planet where the Replicator mass was reaching the point at which it would fuse into a single Replicator. The UNSC forces were being held back by the guns of the ZPM powered Hives, and Sam and Rodney were, once again, cut off from the Core room by Wraith. Widget ended that problem with a flick of his wrist.

The Wraith were pulled up into his Singularity with neck breaking force before he sent a Warp flying into the heart of the gravity-distorting mass of dark matter energy. The resulting explosion was then contained by a Barrier he formed around the site to keep the two Humans from being harmed. As the duo poked their heads out of cover and beheld the Furling standing there, they seemed more shocked than relieved.

"You need to hurry. The Replicators have almost circumvented the alterations we made to their programming," Widget said as he finally killed his Annihilation Field and stopped glowing entirely.

"Right…" McKay muttered as he walked past Widget and entered the Core room. He managed to hook his computer up to the Core before a rumbling had him nearly panicking again. "What's happening?"

"I had to compromise the structural integrity of the city to keep it from entering hyperspace. We don't have much time before this whole ship falls apart," Widget replied in a tired tone. "Are you okay?" he then added when he noticed that Sam was moving slower than she should be.

"We lost Ronon," Sam replied sadly.

"He'll…" Widget began before McKay swore loudly. "What is it?" Widget switched mid-sentence, his tone weary and hands shaking from exhaustion.

"The Replicator mass," McKay replied. "It's so heavy, it's sinking into the planet's surface."

"_McKay, according to our readings, every Replicator nanite is now part of the mass. Can you confirm?"_ General Caldwell's distorted voice came over their still partially jammed comms.

"Copy that, General. I'll set the countdown, and we should be…" McKay began before trailing off. On the sensors screen in the corner of the room, they three watched as the area of the planet around the mass went dark, the power-outage spreading across the whole planet.

"Did you do that?" Sam asked.

"No," McKay replied in an obviously worried tone. "It's the mass. It's collapsed the subterranean power grid. It's a black out. We're not going to be able to overload the ZPMs. This is not good. Not good. Not good!"

"Do you want me to try?" Widget asked, his eyes half-lidded as he tried to stay awake.

"The power grid's been destroyed. There's nothing any of us can do!" McKay shot angrily.

"_What's the big deal? You can't overload the ZPM's? Why don't we just send some nukes down there and get this over with?"_ Sheppard asked irately.

"It's not as simple as that!" McKay shouted in reply. "Look, in order to implode a mass this large, then the explosion has to be timed down to the nanosecond. The force needs to be exactly right…I mean, you can't just fire a few nukes down here and get the job done."

As the city shook under their feet again, Widget said, "We're running out of time. In roughly five minutes, this city will fall apart and we will die in the cold void of space."

"_Well, it's got to be better than nothing!"_ Sheppard insisted.

"_I have to agree,"_ Caldwell added.

"Rodney, look," Sam said while pointing to the sensors screen. "The ground around the mass is rich with neutronium."

"_Neutronium?"_ Caldwell asked.

"It's the base raw material of Replicator cells. It makes all the sense in the world why the Ancients would set up on a planet where it's abundant," McKay explained.

"This could be very useful. Neutronium is incredibly dense," Sam continued.

"_And that helps us how?"_ Sheppard asked.

"Sam, we are geniuses!" Rodney proclaimed. "Okay, the mass is so super-heavy, that it's sinking into the planet's surface. If I dial it up just a little bit, it'll attract the neutronium and sink all the way to the core…"

"…and the planet will exert enough pressure on it to cause an implosion," Sam finished.

"Just give me one more… got it!" Rodney happily declared. His victory was cut short when the city started shaking under them even more violently.

"I was wrong about my calculation. The city is falling apart **now**," Widget informed them in that same, 'about to drop dead' tone of voice.

"Um… how do we get out of here? You can't beam past a City Ship's shields and dropping the shield means we get exposed to vacuum," Rodney pointed out.

"We do it the fun way," Widget replied, his every word fatigued as his body glowed again and a biotic field formed around the three of them.

"Is this the part where you say, 'hang on to something'?" Sam asked.

"If you hold on to anything other than me, you'll be left behind," Widget replied as a whooshing sound filled the city.

…

"What the hell are you doing!?" Caldwell shouted into the radio.

"_Leaving the city,"_ Widget replied simply.

Outside of the forward viewport, the City Ship the three were on had dropped its shield. Without the barrier to hold the atmosphere in, the city was venting air and the force of the act was speeding up the collapse of the city's structural integrity. As the city fell apart in space, the Wraith Hives kept firing on the UNSC forces while their Cruisers grabbed anything from the surface worth salvaging. The 304 Bs ran interference on the Cruisers while the 306s, _Gaia_, and _Nex_ tried to keep the Hives off of _Atlantis_ which was obviously their target. The problem was, the Grodin could damage the Hives, but it couldn't destroy them.

To make matters worse, the Hives were holding the UNSC Fleet back and out of range of their beaming sensors. If Widget went through his plan, the Grodin wouldn't be enough to clear the airspace needed to close on the city enough to beam them out. Thankfully the Grodin wasn't the most powerful weapon they had available.

Of the seven Hives bearing down on them, it was the _Nex_ that scored the only kills. With its dark matter energy beam, the massive ship cut through one Hive and destroyed its ZPM. Without the extra power in its systems, the _Daedalus_ and _Apollo_ pounced on the wounded ship. As they did, the _Nex_ shifted targets and fired at another Hive. This one the Super Dreadnought simply bisected with its Warp beam before flying past it on its way to the crumbling city, the Hive, much like the one destroyed by the original satellite the Grodin had been named after, exploded after having been cut in half.

…

As the _Nex_, nose no longer lined up with the Hives and incapable of using its most lethal weapon, flew alongside the City Ship, the Hives opened up on the largest threat they could find. As such, when Widget's biotically generated atmospheric retention barrier was finally blasted out into space by the explosive decompression of the city, Widget had to pull their bubble of air out of the path of the incoming weapons fire while trying to stay lined up with the open hangar bay that was waiting for them.

The three of them tumbled into the bay and Widget simply collapsed into a heap. As he did, things started happening that Sam didn't understand.

* * *

><p>The wound in the Demon's head was large enough that the crystalline orb that serves as its brain could be seen from the outside. The Demon tried to take-off, to flee the attacking biotic, but Prophet was faster. He flew into the air on a wave of biotic energy and gathered his energy in one hand. With a snarl of rage mixed with pain, Prophet physically ejected the eezo in his body and gathered an orb of it in his palm. Then, once he had enough of it, he used the energy of his body to liquefy it. Once done, he sent a beam of dark matter energy on level with the <em>Nex<em>'s own weapon flying towards the Demon's brain.

Inches away from impact, the beam stopped. In fact, everything stopped. Then it went backwards.

…

***Armstrong Nebula (Gagarin System)***

**Rayingri (Orbit)**

*_SSV Normandy_ (Combat Information Center) [timestamp invalid]*

"_Commander, we've got a ping,"_ Joker, the _Normandy_'s pilot, informed the Commander.

"What is it, Joker?" Shepard asked.

"_It's a radio signal, Commander,"_ the voice of one Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko replied. _"It's coded in Geth and coming from somewhere in a neighboring system. I think it's the Geth's main base."_

"Alright, Joker, set a course and deploy the stealth systems as soon as we drop out of FTL. I'll forward a report to Admiral Hackett," Shepard replied.

"_ETA; just under two hours,"_ Joker confirmed.

'_I wonder what we'll find this time,'_ Shepard mused.

* * *

><p>The Siege of Earth had lasted a full twenty-four hours now and there were still Cylon Baseships to destroy. The problem was, they were jumping around the system avoiding the guns of the UNSC fleet with their FTL drives. As they did, they'd drop below the PDS, fire on the military instillations there, then return to orbit behind the UNSC Fleet and hit them from behind.<p>

Things were going very badly for the defenders of Earth. The Cylons were making up for their advantage of tech by being more maneuverable. To make matters worse, they had jumped past _Athena_'s shield and nuked the city. Now the City Factory was nothing but radioactive ruble and they had lost half of the fleet before they managed to get their shields collapsed down close enough to their hulls to prevent the Cylons from jumping through…

…

***Local Cluster (Sol System)***

**Earth (Surface)**

*O'Neill Residence (Den) [timestamp invalid]*

"_Good morning America! It's another beautiful day here in the greatest country on Earth…"_ the TV reporter began before Jack changed the channel. There was never anything good on TV these days.

With a sigh of annoyance, the retired Air Force officer turned off the TV, grabbed his folding chair under one arm, tackle box under the other, and fishing rod before leaving his house. "Another day in paradise," Jack mumbled with a dark sense of sarcasm as he set up his fishing gear and decided to spend the rest of the day fishing.

* * *

><p><em>Atlantis<em>, once it had collected the more heavily damaged ships not capable of entering hyperspace, powered up its stardrive in preparation for leaving. The massive hyperspace window tore open, but, before the city could fly through it, _Atlantis_ vanished along with the _Sun Tzu_, _Cream Puff_, _Two for Flinching_, _Phoenix_, _Daedalus_, _Apollo_, and _Gaia_. In fact, the only ship left in the system was the _Nex_.

"What the hell just happened!?" Rodney asked in a state of total panic.

"_Ba'al happened,"_ Widget's holographic avatar replied darkly.

* * *

><p><strong>***Local Cluster (Sol System)***<strong>

****Earth (North Atlantic Ocean)****

*****_**Achilles**_** (Bridge) [1939]***

"Make your course three-five-zero," the Captain ordered.

"Three-five-zero. Aye, Captain," the helmsman replied.

"We'd be in Boston right now if we weren't zigzagging all over the bloody Atlantic," one of the bosun complained.

"You'd rather I make it easy for the U-boats?" the Captain asked.

"We're not at war yet. Besides, we're riding too high in the water for a U-boat captain to waste a torpedo," the bosun countered.

As if in response to his comment, the floorboards started vibrating. "Check to see the cargo's secure," the Captain ordered.

"You're never going to tell me what it is, are you?" the bosun asked.

"If I knew myself," the Captain replied distantly.

…

The bosun entered the Hold, his lantern shining brightly, but still not bright enough. A strange sound reached his ears as he entered the Hold fully. In the center of the Hold, a very large wooden crate was being held to the deck by thick metal chains. The only visible marking on the crate was the word 'Langford' in painted letters. As the sounds continued to emit from the crate, the bosun stepped up to it and placed his hand on the surface. As he did, the formation of a wormhole consumed his body, the 'kawoosh' going out far enough to put a hole in the side of the ship. The only good thing here was that the hole was well above the water line.

…

As the ship lurched and started listing to one side, the Captain stepped out of the Bridge and looked over the side of the ship. Noting the hole, the Captain said, "That's no torpedo."

Walking back into the Bridge, the helmsman asked, "What is it, Captain?"

Ignoring the question, the Captain walked up to the intercom, a cone in the wall, and announced, "Emergency stations! All hands!" Only then did he turn to the helmsman. "Maintain your heading, son," he added in a reassuring tone.

"Aye, sir," the helmsman replied.

"I'm going to check for damage," the Captain informed him. Reaching into the first aide cabinet, the Captain grabbed a pistol and left the Bridge.

…

From the active Gate, a long, wide plank fell through in such a way that it formed a walkway over the stack of crates in front of the Gate and to the metal mesh walkway of the ship. Two armed Jaffa then came through the Gate to take up position beside the walkway. A moment later, Ba'al himself strutted through the active Gate with two more Jaffa.

"Secure the ship and make ready the Chappa'ai," Ba'al ordered smugly. "Take your time, Jaffa. We have all the time in the world."

…

The Captain entered the Cargo Hold with two other of his crewmen. He tried looking around the crates, but a flash of light from behind them struck one of his men. Despite it just having been a flash of light, the man fell to the ground dead. Grabbing the other man with him, the Captain drug the man forward. As he did, another flash of light lit up the room and hit the Captain in the leg while another blast hit his crewman in the back.

With a groan of pain, the Captain managed to sit against the bulkhead then make his way to his feet. As he did, he heard a voice.

"The vessel is secure, My Lord," a strange looking man in an even stranger armor informed another strange looking man.

Then the man who was clearly in charge armed something that was clearly a bomb.

"Dial the Chappa'ai," the leader ordered.

The armed servant then approached the cargo that the Captain had been tasked with carrying and placed something on the large metal circle inside of the wooden box. Once he did, a circle within the circle began to spin. With the last of his strength, the Captain cocked his revolver and took aim, but he was too slow. The leader of the men removed the device from the circle which now held water standing vertically and stepped through the water. The only thing they left behind were dead bodies and a bomb.

Bleeding heavily from his wounded leg, the Captain moved to the bomb. With the last bit of strength the Captain had left, he picked up the bomb and threw it through the hole in his ship into the ocean below. A second later, a bright light lit up the ocean from below the waters. No longer able to keep going, the Captain collapsed against the hull, breathing heavy.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean, 'Ba'al happened'?" Sam asked with a growing sense of desperateness.<p>

"_Remember when I told you that Ba'al was planning on going back in time?"_ holo-Widget asked as medical drones entered the hangar bay to administer aid to the unconscious form of the AI's nude body. _"I think something happened to Earth."_

"Like what?" Rodney asked as he tried, and failed, to calm down.

"_Something big enough that it stopped Jack from sending a ship to stop Ba'al from going back in time. Without someone there to stop him, Ba'al would've gone back and altered the timeline without being challenged,"_ Widget explained before his avatar was joined by that of Sam's XO.

"_Ma'am, the Asurans are firing drones at us from the surface and our shields are running low after the bombardment we took from those Hives. Orders?"_ Kimberly asked, her own tone showing how close she was to breaking down and crying. Clearly Widget was sharing this tale with the people in the CIC as well.

"Jump us back to…" Sam began before drawing a blank.

"_We'll go to Lantea,"_ Widget said before the wormhole drive engaged.

"Why Lantea?" Rodney asked. "Why not Earth?"

"_Earth doesn't exist as you knew it anymore, Rodney. Neither does _Atlantis_,"_ Widget replied as a live feed from the _Nex_'s sensors showed _Atlantis_ on the bottom of the ocean, the shield completely collapsed and the city flooded from top to bottom. _"Without the Tau'ri, _Atlantis_ spends another year on the bottom of the ocean floor before its ZPMs give out entirely and the city floods. Without the Tau'ri, Weir never goes back in time to tell the Janus that the ZPMs have to be cycled out. Without the Tau'ri bringing the Goa'uld Empire to its knees, and with a knowledge of future events, Ba'al has changed the future of the stars. He __**owns**__ this timeline now."_

"Wait," Sam shook her head. "If Ba'al went back in time and changed the timeline, then how the hell are we still here?"


	42. Epilogue Part 1: The Edge of Tomorrow

Author's Note:

The next "book" in this series is more of a "sub-book" than it is an "actual book." It'll be a collection of "short" chapters "detailing" how/why the _Nex_ wasn't affected by the alteration to the timeline, and all the good parts of how the crew get everything back on track. As for this book... Well, Sam lit Widget on fire, LIT HIM ON FIRE!, and no one mentioned it in the comments. When that idea popped into my head, I was listening to Fireball by Pitbull. I laughed to myself when I wrote that scene. No one even justified it with a comment. No "That's not how Sam acts," or "That's very 'Un-Stargate-like'." Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Is humor not appreciated, should I be trying harder, or does it just not matter? Yes that's a serious question. There are parts of this series that are supposed to make you rage (the Ori successfully killing over two-hundred-thousand people in a city full of questionably innocent civilians), it's supposed to shock you (the Wraith hacking the Asurans in a desperate bid to survive Caldwell's wrath), and it's supposed to make you laugh (SAM SET WIDGET ON FIRE THEN WOKE UP THE NEXT DAY WITH A HALF-NAKED ALIEN IN HER BEDROOM!). In the book 3, there's a scene in it that's supposed to make you cry. Am I writing this for a bunch of emotionally stunted semi-humans, or was that scene simply not worth a comment? Let me know.

Other than that, Colonials on the Run is done. I hope you enjoyed!

Epilogue Part 1

_The Edge of Tomorrow_

* * *

><p>The stars were shining brightly above them, the nearby planet in the distance dominating the bulk of their view of the heavens. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful sight to behold. The Speaker sat, surrounded on all sides by younglings, and told the story. It wasn't a story, not really. It was more a history lesson than anything else. The Speaker took a deep breath of the cool night air and opened brilliant green eyes to the many children from multiple species that sat in a ring around the fire, their sole source of warmth.<p>

"It is getting late," the Speaker said matter-of-factly in an ever-saddened tone.

"That's not fair!" a young Turian said in a tone of frustration. "You said that you would tell us the whole story, and none of that even made sense! How do you survive an alteration to the timeline as severe as Ba'al stopping the Tau'ri from ever rising to power?"

"It is the ground work for a much larger tale," the Speaker replied calmly. "The story is far too long to be told in only one sitting. You must first come to understand the whys and hows that the Tau'ri came to be the power they were, and why they came to interfere in multiple universes. Then, and only then, will you understand the War."

"I've already heard all of this!" a young Human complained with arms crossed over her chest in defiance. "Every Human knows about the Battle for Earth, the Three Day Siege, and the Destruction of Asuras. I wanna hear about Sam and Widget's quest to fix the timeline! There's a whole year and half of history missing from the books that only they know, and they never told anyone! Let's get to the good parts!"

"**Really**?" a young Batarian asked in shock. "You thought that was **boring**? Your people fought off the Ori, went to war with the Wraith, launched an all-out assault on a hostile planet, and, as far as this ending tells us, lost your homeworld, half of your fleet, and several of the most familiar faces from the Telling, and you think that's **boring**!?"

"I want to hear more about Prophet and his fight against Nazara! Did he really win the fight against the Demon with nothing but his biotics?" a young Drell girl with bright black orbs for eyes asked excitedly.

"This one also wishes to know if that was mere war propaganda or if there is truth behind the claim," a Hannar said, its body pulsing with each 'spoken word.'

"Children, calm yourselves. The story of the Phoenix Effect comes **after** the story of General Carter and the crew of the _Nex_ living on the Edge of Tomorrow," the Speaker interrupted their fighting. Then, with a sigh, the Speaker began anew. "The story isn't very long, but I will compress it further because much of it is retold by those who lived it when they manage to accomplish their task," the Speaker told them. "The story of how the _Nex_ remained an island set aside from the river of time begins with the creation of the Stargates.

"When the Ancients first created the Gates, they experimented with the design until, one day, they dialed one Gate with another through a star at the exact moment that a solar flare intercepted the matter stream. Because of this accident, the Ancients learned that time travel was possible. To counter the possibility that something would go horribly wrong and one of them would go back in time and create a paradox, the Ancients, Furlings, Nox, and Asgard came together to create a new device.

"Time is like a river," the Speaker explained, the mental powers that is the Speaker's birthright allowing the Speaker to place images in the minds of those listening to the Telling. "We are submerged in its flow and carried down the stream by the current, but, if you are strong enough, you can swim against the current. This is the ability to travel through time. The _Nex_, along with one ship from each of the Four Great Races, was equipped with a unique device. This machine was called a Temporal Prison. It worked by building an island in the flow of time. Because the island was rooted in the stream of time, those living on the island would still grow old. However, because the top of the island stuck out above the water, those who lived on the island could watch over the flow of time.

"This set up allowed the _Nex_, the island in this analogy, to steadily progress through time with everyone else, but also immunized it from any alteration to the timeline made after the island was built. The _Nex_ was put into its temporal prison twenty-seven-million years before Ba'al traveled back in time. Because of this, those present on the ship weren't affected by the alteration to the timeline. Just as the device was intended, it allowed the ship and its crew to watch over the flow of time and fix the alterations that Ba'al had made.

"Their quest began a few hours after the alterations took place for the _Nex_ had suffered damage over Asuras and needed repair. It is here we will pick up **tomorrow**!" the Speaker stressed, much to the disappointment of the children. "For now, it is well past time for bed."


End file.
